Chapter 1: Bonds And Burdens

Lord Gustave smiled as he looked upon his daughter as she fanned herself, lightly,

"Must I do this, father?" Christine asked causing Gustave to chuckle and he leant forward, taking her hand in his own,

"My dear Christine. I am an old man and I shan't be around forever. When my time comes and I rejoin your beloved mother. I wish to know that there will be someone to look after you" he told her gently but Christine frowned,

"But... Prince Erik is..." she tried,

"A fine gentleman whom no one has anything bad to say about" he warned gently, hearing his daughter sigh,

"He's disfigured, father... How could I ever marry him?" she asked and Gustave sighed,

"Oh Christine. Myself and your mother raised you far better than that. Prince Erik has been nothing but kind to you" he scolded light causing Christine to roll her eyes,

"Oh please, he hates me as much as I hate him" she argued,

"Enough, Christine" Gustave replied firmly and the rest of their journey was silent as the carriage carried them to the castle.

The castle grounds were vast, beautiful and was Prince Erik's favourite place to hide away from his tutors and royal duties; Erik closed his eyes in bliss listening to the birds as they sang sweetly within the trees,

"Prince Erik?... Prince Erik, Lord Daae and his daughter have arrived sir!" Erik heard his man servant, Nadir call out and the prince sighed before standing,

"I'm coming, Nadir" he called before making his way out of his hiding place and Nadir sighed in relief,

"You're highness, I really must protest to your continuous stubborn nature that causes us to always be late" Nadir said causing Erik to chuckle,

"I'd have you put in the stocks if we were not friend, Nadir" he teased,

"Yes well you may be safe from your father's wrath but I am not" he reminded and both men chuckled as they made their way back to the castle.

King Charles and his wife, Queen Madeline greeted Gustave and Christine warmly,

"Oh you have grown up beautifully, Christine" Madeline praised and Christine curtsied with a bright smile,

"Thank you, Queen Madeline" she replied and Madeline's husband chuckled,

"You need not be so formal, Christine. We are to be family soon" he reminded her and Christine gave a false smile,

"Indeed" she said as Gustave hugged Charles,

"Oh it is good to see you out friend" he greeted as Charles hugged him back,

"As it is to see you. Come. Dinner is ready" he said and they all made their way into the dining room.

Dinner was awkward as Christine avoided all eye contact with Erik,

"Mother, perhaps I should remove my mask" Erik said mockingly and the queen sighed,

"Erik, please..." she tried,

"Well, my future wife sits before me. Surely she wishes to look upon my full face and not half of it" he interrupted before dropping his cutlery on his plate with a clatter,

"But then I forget. My fiance cannot even look upon me with my mask" he finished, standing abruptly and stormed out the room, Madeline stood but Charles placed a hand on her arm in a comforting manner,

"Leave him be... Nadir?" he said looking towards the man servant whom nodded before bowing and followed after Erik.

The betrothal of Erik and Christine had been one planned from birth much to their dismay and as they stood before the priest, the world became a blur, hearing only muffled words as the man before them pronounced them both husband and wife,

"You may kiss the bride" the priest told Erik but he simply took Christine's hand in his own and pressed a kiss upon its surface.

The queen brushed her hair with a sad expression,

"I always hoped he would marry for love" Madeline murmured sadly,

"Love can be a very cruel thing especially when it avoids someone, My dear" Charles replied, coming up behind her and pressed a kiss to the crown of her head,

"Our son deserves love" she whispered,

"Indeed he does but we can only hope that Christine may come to love him just as you came to love me" he told her gently as he pressed a kiss to his wife's cheek.

Erik and Christine were only ever seen together at public appearances but whilst within the walls of the castle they each avoided the other as if they were the plague and they both had separate chambers, Christine resided in the east wing whilst Erik resided in the west and the newly wedded couple never shared even the slightest glance.

~ Six Months Later ~

The castle was bustling with activity as new staff were ushered in through the staff entrance,

"Please collect your uniforms and be quick about changing into them" Madame Giry, the head of the household said as the new staff obeyed, heading into the changing area to get ready.

Madame Giry allocated tasks sending one group to clean the ballroom, another to clean audience chamber and another to clean the dining room but a bell rang, summoning assistance to the east wing and Madame Giry looked towards a red headed servant girl,

"You. Step forward" she ordered gently and the girl obeyed, stepping forward with a polite curtsy,

"Amelia, Madame" she introduced,

"You are to be Princess Christine's new maid. Go to the east wing and tend to her needs" Madame Giry instructed earning another polite curtsy.

Amelia headed straight to the east wing and knocked gently,

"Enter" she heard a voice call and she entered with a polite curtsy,

"You called for assistance, Your highness" she greeted,

"I know very well what I called for" she replied firmly,

"Turn down the bed and apply fresh sheets" she ordered and Amelia curtsied before obeying.

Amelia carried the massive sheets of material, awkwardly having not had a basket to carry them back to the wash room when she collided with something causing the sheets to fall to the floor,

"Oh. I'm so sorry" she said, kneeling down and gathered the material, hearing a chuckle,

"It's quite alright" the male voice said, kneeling down and began assisting her but Amelia looked horrified at the sight of Prince Erik assisting her,

"Your highness! I am so sorry. Please forgive me" she said but Erik smile as they stood, handing her the sheets back,

"You needn't worry. It was entirely my fault... And you are?" he asked,

"I... I am Princess Christine's new maid servant, your highness" she answered and Erik chuckled,

"I meant your name" he said and Amelia blushed with embarrassment,

"Of course... I am Amelia" she said and Erik smiled, offering her a polite bow,

"It is a pleasure" he said and Amelia was stunned he had bowed to her but she curtsied in return,

"Prince Erik, your fitting" Nadir reminded him and Erik gave Amelia a polite nod as he followed Nadir.

Nadir looked at Erik curiously,

"Are you ok?" he asked and Erik nodded with a small smile,

"My mask... It didn't bother her" he murmured more to himself and Nadir couldn't help but smile, happy for his friend.

Is forbidden love in the air? Should I continue? Let me know!

Kind Regards,

TheAuthor1996

P.S: I just want to apologize in advance in case my story is hard to understand. I suffer from Autism Spectrum Disorder so I struggle with grammar and so on.