Twisted Every Way [PHANTOM, PG]
Feb. 21st, 2005 09:02 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
winterThis is not one of my main Phantom of the Opera works, just a series of drabbles I dashed off to break a weird spell over the last week or so. Idle speculation abounds, style is lacking. Especially in the last drabble: between them Erik and Christine can outdo Anne Rice any time.
Disclaimer: Everything belongs to Gaston Leroux, Andrew Lloyd Webber and whoever owns parts of rights to the movie. Five Things That Aren't True concept by Basingstoke.
Rating: PG-13, I guess.
TWISTED EVERY WAY
by Beth Winter (bwinter @extenuation.net)
Twist I
Raoul seethed. The familiar clutter of Christine's dressing room did nothing to calm him. For once the offending note in his hand did not bear the skull seal. But it was no less infuriating for this, and he was even angrier with himself for not noticing all of it sooner.
He also did not notice the mirror sliding open. When he did look up, it was to see the Phantom holding a similar note and wearing a similar frustrated expression.
The Phantom was the first to speak. "She left you a note, too?"
"The same, I guess." Raoul unfolded the scrap of paper and handed it to the masked man, while at the same time appropriating the other's letter, which was almost exactly the same as his own.
Darling,
You'll be glad to hear that I finally realized whom it is that my heart loves. Therefore I'm eloping with Meg to Australia. I heard they have opera there, too.
Love,
Christine Daae-Giry
The Phantom was eyeing Raoul's bottle of liquor with longing.
Raoul sighed. "Help yourself. Just don't drink all of it..."
Twist II
Christine wrung her hands as she stared at her father's portrait. She had stolen to the rooftop with it, since it was the one place she was fairly certain the Phantom would not go, and since her guards could be left at the foot of the stairs. She was tired of this constant scrutiny, tired of being watched, tired of her own torn heart.
If only there was a way to solve this in a way that did not ask her to betray part of herself. The face of Gustav Daae gave her no answers. She was sure that if he was alive, he'd tell her some piece of family wisdom, if not his own then maybe from his grandfather. The old man had died before she was born, but she remembered her father's tales of him - the way he set up home in Sweden after the daring flight from Persia, where he had to leave all his riches and his three wives...
She smiled. She did have an idea.
As she expected, both of them were as horrified by her idea as they were by seeing each other at what each of them assumed would be his exclusive date with his love in her private dressing room.
"This is against the law, and he's a murderer, and I want to marry you before the eyes of God and men-" Raoul sputtered.
"And I will not share you with this insolent fool!" Erik's voice rattled the pictures on the walls.
Christine had planned for this as well.
She blinked. Her lips started to wobble. Then she sniffled.
They gave in.
Twist III
Christine was looking at the black-bound rose when she heard the door open.
"Little Lotte let her mind wander..." a familiar voice said.
"Raoul!" she laughed.
"You'll forgive me the intrusion," her childhood friend said. "Élise was dying to meet you - Christine Daae, meet Élise de Bathory."
Mme de Bathory had her arm wrapped around Raoul's. "I wanted to congratulate you on your performance. You were astounding. I don't believe it's the first time you sang as the lead."
"But it was." Christine smiled. It was hard not to smile back at Élise, who was baring all of her white and rather sharp teeth. It looked like Raoul had good taste in companions.
"I'm afraid we already have plans for supper," Raoul put in, "but I'd be delighted if both of you joined me tomorrow for lunch."
Christine patted his arm. "Of course. I wouldn't be able to go out tonight anyway - the Angel of Music is very strict."
"You and your Angel of Music." Raoul hugged her and kissed her forehead. "If he makes you sing the way you did tonight, I hope he'll always be singing songs in your head."
Christine felt elated. Her old friend would be her friend once more, she was the primadonna for one night, and the Angel of Music was pleased with her.
Behind the mirror, the Angel muttered about distractions, but with a smile on his face. It could have gone much worse.
Twist IV
Christine was overwhelmed as the wonders of the Phantom's lair were revealed to her. Now he was removing one more curtain...
She felt faint as she looked at the wax figure with her own face. It was like seeing herself through someone else's eyes. Was she really this beautiful? Was this what he wanted her for, despite his words about music?
Her lips curled in an enigmatic smile that matched the wax replica's. For the first time she felt wanted as a woman, not as a pretty face, a good voice, or little Lotte who had to be indulged in order to keep her quiet.
She turned in the Phantom's arms and touched her lips to his.
At first he stiffened, but quickly she coaxed him into responding. His arms wrapped around her waist, not cradling her like a fragile doll but holding her with a passion that matched her own. She touched his chest, his neck, his face, learning all of him with her fingertips.
Neither of them noticed when the mask slipped to the floor.
Twist V
Kristian Daae, since very recently the leading tenor of the Opera Populaire, did not know what to do.
In front of him was the woman whose voice had guided his towards new heights. The twisted face, the scarred ruin, was flushed with anger and glistening with tears. Was it the same woman who had told him, sobbing, of her dark life? She was his Angel of Music. She was Erika, a circus freak rescued by Madame Giry. And she was the Sorceress of the Opera.
Behind her, Aurelia struggled against the ropes. Delicate little Aurelia, and still she followed him here. His fiancée, if she could convince her father to allow the match. His ray of sunshine had challenged the dark spell upon his soul. But if he chose her, the Sorceress would kill her.
His feet and his lips moved before he knew he had made his choice.
"...you are not alone." And he kissed her.
Her lips were soft under his. Surprised. Kristian pulled her closer and wished for the cloak the Sorceress had worn before. If they hid in its darkness, perhaps the world would never find them.
He heard Aurelia gasp as he kissed Erika again. Their tears mingled, turning the kiss bitter.
Finally they parted, both trembling. Somewhere, footsteps. Shouting.
For a moment, it looked like Erika wanted to kiss him again. Then she pushed him away, told him to leave, screamed at last at Aurelia to take the boat. Kristian stood there numbly, thinking of chivalry and love and how decisions were made.
The boat cut through the water almost silently, and whatever sound there was as it left the underground cavern, was drowned out by the Sorceress' screams and the tinkling of broken glass.
Erika paused at the threshold of the underground passage. Her mask was gone now. And she realized she was not alone.
Kristian put the ring on her hand, his ring that she had taken from Aurelia at the Bal Masqué. In the end, he was a man. He decided his own fate.
They stepped into the darkness together.
~FINIS~
Notes:
1. Erik and Raoul stubbornly refused to make this a double-slash pairing. Dolts.
2. A little-known fact: the actor playing Christine's father in the movie is Iranian - that is to say, Persian. I do think it's a neat twist.
3. This is chronologically the first idea I had: what if Raoul was taken? Erik wins by default, that's what. Élise de Bathory is a long story, but I just pulled her up in order to have a socialite on Raoul's arm. She's historical, more or less.
4. I think Christine's awakening into her power as a woman is a major theme, and I kept wondering what would have happened if she had not fainted during Music of the Night. On that note, her stockings do take a runner in the movie between MOTN and I Remember..., so the interpretation is left to the reader.
5. At first I wanted to genderflip just one of the characters, but I was really intrigued by the idea of a female Erik, and it would not have been fair to Erika to make her compete for the attention of Christine with the Vicomte Charming. Hence, Aurelia de Chagny, who absolutely refused to fall for a female Christine. It's too short to explore the themes, but I hope I accented the main one - that Christine's social conditioning as a nineteenth-century woman plays a large part in her choice, and that a man might have chosen otherwise.
Disclaimer: Everything belongs to Gaston Leroux, Andrew Lloyd Webber and whoever owns parts of rights to the movie. Five Things That Aren't True concept by Basingstoke.
Rating: PG-13, I guess.
TWISTED EVERY WAY
by Beth Winter (bwinter @extenuation.net)
Twist I
Raoul seethed. The familiar clutter of Christine's dressing room did nothing to calm him. For once the offending note in his hand did not bear the skull seal. But it was no less infuriating for this, and he was even angrier with himself for not noticing all of it sooner.
He also did not notice the mirror sliding open. When he did look up, it was to see the Phantom holding a similar note and wearing a similar frustrated expression.
The Phantom was the first to speak. "She left you a note, too?"
"The same, I guess." Raoul unfolded the scrap of paper and handed it to the masked man, while at the same time appropriating the other's letter, which was almost exactly the same as his own.
Darling,
You'll be glad to hear that I finally realized whom it is that my heart loves. Therefore I'm eloping with Meg to Australia. I heard they have opera there, too.
Love,
Christine Daae-Giry
The Phantom was eyeing Raoul's bottle of liquor with longing.
Raoul sighed. "Help yourself. Just don't drink all of it..."
Twist II
Christine wrung her hands as she stared at her father's portrait. She had stolen to the rooftop with it, since it was the one place she was fairly certain the Phantom would not go, and since her guards could be left at the foot of the stairs. She was tired of this constant scrutiny, tired of being watched, tired of her own torn heart.
If only there was a way to solve this in a way that did not ask her to betray part of herself. The face of Gustav Daae gave her no answers. She was sure that if he was alive, he'd tell her some piece of family wisdom, if not his own then maybe from his grandfather. The old man had died before she was born, but she remembered her father's tales of him - the way he set up home in Sweden after the daring flight from Persia, where he had to leave all his riches and his three wives...
She smiled. She did have an idea.
As she expected, both of them were as horrified by her idea as they were by seeing each other at what each of them assumed would be his exclusive date with his love in her private dressing room.
"This is against the law, and he's a murderer, and I want to marry you before the eyes of God and men-" Raoul sputtered.
"And I will not share you with this insolent fool!" Erik's voice rattled the pictures on the walls.
Christine had planned for this as well.
She blinked. Her lips started to wobble. Then she sniffled.
They gave in.
Twist III
Christine was looking at the black-bound rose when she heard the door open.
"Little Lotte let her mind wander..." a familiar voice said.
"Raoul!" she laughed.
"You'll forgive me the intrusion," her childhood friend said. "Élise was dying to meet you - Christine Daae, meet Élise de Bathory."
Mme de Bathory had her arm wrapped around Raoul's. "I wanted to congratulate you on your performance. You were astounding. I don't believe it's the first time you sang as the lead."
"But it was." Christine smiled. It was hard not to smile back at Élise, who was baring all of her white and rather sharp teeth. It looked like Raoul had good taste in companions.
"I'm afraid we already have plans for supper," Raoul put in, "but I'd be delighted if both of you joined me tomorrow for lunch."
Christine patted his arm. "Of course. I wouldn't be able to go out tonight anyway - the Angel of Music is very strict."
"You and your Angel of Music." Raoul hugged her and kissed her forehead. "If he makes you sing the way you did tonight, I hope he'll always be singing songs in your head."
Christine felt elated. Her old friend would be her friend once more, she was the primadonna for one night, and the Angel of Music was pleased with her.
Behind the mirror, the Angel muttered about distractions, but with a smile on his face. It could have gone much worse.
Twist IV
Christine was overwhelmed as the wonders of the Phantom's lair were revealed to her. Now he was removing one more curtain...
She felt faint as she looked at the wax figure with her own face. It was like seeing herself through someone else's eyes. Was she really this beautiful? Was this what he wanted her for, despite his words about music?
Her lips curled in an enigmatic smile that matched the wax replica's. For the first time she felt wanted as a woman, not as a pretty face, a good voice, or little Lotte who had to be indulged in order to keep her quiet.
She turned in the Phantom's arms and touched her lips to his.
At first he stiffened, but quickly she coaxed him into responding. His arms wrapped around her waist, not cradling her like a fragile doll but holding her with a passion that matched her own. She touched his chest, his neck, his face, learning all of him with her fingertips.
Neither of them noticed when the mask slipped to the floor.
Twist V
Kristian Daae, since very recently the leading tenor of the Opera Populaire, did not know what to do.
In front of him was the woman whose voice had guided his towards new heights. The twisted face, the scarred ruin, was flushed with anger and glistening with tears. Was it the same woman who had told him, sobbing, of her dark life? She was his Angel of Music. She was Erika, a circus freak rescued by Madame Giry. And she was the Sorceress of the Opera.
Behind her, Aurelia struggled against the ropes. Delicate little Aurelia, and still she followed him here. His fiancée, if she could convince her father to allow the match. His ray of sunshine had challenged the dark spell upon his soul. But if he chose her, the Sorceress would kill her.
His feet and his lips moved before he knew he had made his choice.
"...you are not alone." And he kissed her.
Her lips were soft under his. Surprised. Kristian pulled her closer and wished for the cloak the Sorceress had worn before. If they hid in its darkness, perhaps the world would never find them.
He heard Aurelia gasp as he kissed Erika again. Their tears mingled, turning the kiss bitter.
Finally they parted, both trembling. Somewhere, footsteps. Shouting.
For a moment, it looked like Erika wanted to kiss him again. Then she pushed him away, told him to leave, screamed at last at Aurelia to take the boat. Kristian stood there numbly, thinking of chivalry and love and how decisions were made.
The boat cut through the water almost silently, and whatever sound there was as it left the underground cavern, was drowned out by the Sorceress' screams and the tinkling of broken glass.
Erika paused at the threshold of the underground passage. Her mask was gone now. And she realized she was not alone.
Kristian put the ring on her hand, his ring that she had taken from Aurelia at the Bal Masqué. In the end, he was a man. He decided his own fate.
They stepped into the darkness together.
~FINIS~
Notes:
1. Erik and Raoul stubbornly refused to make this a double-slash pairing. Dolts.
2. A little-known fact: the actor playing Christine's father in the movie is Iranian - that is to say, Persian. I do think it's a neat twist.
3. This is chronologically the first idea I had: what if Raoul was taken? Erik wins by default, that's what. Élise de Bathory is a long story, but I just pulled her up in order to have a socialite on Raoul's arm. She's historical, more or less.
4. I think Christine's awakening into her power as a woman is a major theme, and I kept wondering what would have happened if she had not fainted during Music of the Night. On that note, her stockings do take a runner in the movie between MOTN and I Remember..., so the interpretation is left to the reader.
5. At first I wanted to genderflip just one of the characters, but I was really intrigued by the idea of a female Erik, and it would not have been fair to Erika to make her compete for the attention of Christine with the Vicomte Charming. Hence, Aurelia de Chagny, who absolutely refused to fall for a female Christine. It's too short to explore the themes, but I hope I accented the main one - that Christine's social conditioning as a nineteenth-century woman plays a large part in her choice, and that a man might have chosen otherwise.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2005-02-21 12:19 pm (UTC)xXx
(no subject)
Date: 2005-02-22 12:25 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2005-02-21 01:11 pm (UTC)Selfish little bastards. Also, that second drabble was fantastic - fear Christine's pouty lips and dewy eyes!
(no subject)
Date: 2005-02-22 12:27 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2005-02-22 12:38 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2005-02-21 01:55 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2005-02-22 12:28 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2005-02-21 02:03 pm (UTC)Élise de Bathory? What, like Elizabeth Bathory? As in, she's going to bathe in Christine's virgin blood...?
(no subject)
Date: 2005-02-22 12:30 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2005-02-22 02:36 am (UTC)These are just lovely... very, very lovely. I love these :)
(no subject)
Date: 2005-02-22 12:32 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2005-02-22 11:43 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2005-02-22 12:33 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2005-03-06 09:30 am (UTC)Błyskotliwe jak większość Twoich prac. Szczególnie podobał mi się pierwszy (doskonały pomysł, IMHO Christine właśnie taką decyzję powinna była ostatecznie podjąć ;))),trzeci ("Kuzynki" i "Księżniczka" Pilipiuka powoli przkonują mnie wampirów) i czwarty (skoro musi już któregoś wybrać, to jestem całym sercem za Erikiem). Mam nadzieję, że nadal będziesz pisać phanfiki?
Czy czytałaś "Phantoma" Susan Kay?
Wracając do naszej wcześniejszej dyskusji - niestety, dla moich uszu, przekonałam się, że masz rację - Gerard Butler śpiewa średnio. Kupiłam OST dopiero niedawno i dochodzę do wniosku, że w kinie zwracałam uwagę na coś zupełnie innego :) Naprawdę szkoda.
Pozdrawiam
Noelka