The Harmony of an Everlasting Dawn
The legends that surround the Soleanna Opera House whisper tales of warning and mystery, of a Phantom that enacts horrendous retribution against all that enter there. He is a demon from the coldest depths of Hell, he is the evil that lurks in the darkness… He is Aurora's Angel, and she is his Muse. He speaks life to her dreams, and she sings healing to his broken soul. Theirs is a love that chases away the darkness of an eternal night… A Harmony of an Everlasting Dawn. Commission for @e-vay!
A golden flame danced on the thin black wick; white wax dribbled down the tall candle to the base, and soft emerald green eyes watched the procession without a hint of interest for the wax droplet's journey. Illuminated by the gentle light, Aurora let out a sigh and reached to unpin the pearls and diamonds from her shining pink quills. She smoothed her hands down the delicate ornamented bodice of her evergreen gown… much more elaborate and grander than any of the costumes she had ever worn before as a simple ballerina in the operas.
Aurora still didn't understand how she had been selected as the lead for tonight's show. The managers of the Opera House had interrupted her practice, demanded she sing, and named her the lead as soon as she'd finished. Aurora had tried to protest, but had fallen silent with one look from them and graciously accepted the position… a position she never dreamed she could achieve.
Knock knock knock.
Aurora looked away from her vanity, the last pearl pin dangling in her fingers, as her dressing room door swung open before a word could fall from her lips. A large bouquet of yellow roses and bright buttercups twined with a gaudy red ribbon hid her visitor's face from her, and Aurora tilted her head, reaching in her vanity for the thick silver quill brush hidden in the drawer. "Hello?" She called.
The ostentatious bouquet shifted, revealing an attractive and startlingly familiar face: Orange-red quills and fur, deep violet eyes… Eyes that had once made Aurora's heart flutter when they gazed at her. A ghost of a smirk flickered on a beige muzzle, and an unimpressed brow raised, darker toned red ears shifting forward. "Is that any way to greet an old friend, Aurora?" He drawled, setting down the bouquet on her vanity and smoothing down the sleek black jacket of his glossy suit.
"Kyle." Aurora smiled and shifted into a more welcoming position. "It's so good to see you again; it's been years!"
Kyle snorted and sat on the edge of the vanity, that familiar expression of cold boredom sliding into place on his face. "Yes, ever since you ran off to join the Solennian Opera." He noted. Aurora's smile faltered slightly. "But I suppose it wasn't an entirely foolish path; you performed much better than that crow ever thought of doing, but it isn't that hard of an accomplishment."
Aurora resisted the urge to bristle at that, struggled to keep the smile on her face. "Thank you; I'm honored."
Kyle glanced around the dressing room, crinkling his nose, though his eyes never hinted any emotion other than intense apathy. "Come." He finally stood and marched for the door.
"Pardon?" Aurora asked, puzzled.
Kyle sighed, as if Aurora had asked why she needed to breathe. "Come, we are having dinner together."
Aurora blinked… then blinked again, and shook her head. "Kyle, I'm flattered, but I'll have to refuse."
Kyle frowned. It was the most expressive he had been thus far. "Aurora, I don't exactly have the evening to waste."
"Then do not waste it." Aurora waved him off and turned back towards her vanity. "Thank you for the flowers, and for the kind words, but I won't be going to dine with you tonight."
Her heart dropped when Kyle stepped up behind her, standing over her. Discomfort prickled under Aurora's fur at the dark expression twisting his once attractive face… had she truly admired this hedgehog as a child? It seemed so laughable now. Fear bubbled in her stomach when his hand clapped down on her shoulder, harsh and crushing. "Aurora-,"
"I said no!" A burst of deep emerald light flew from Aurora as she shoved Kyle away; it exploded against his chest and he staggered back from the force, colliding with the doorframe. Sharp violet eyes stared at Aurora with a sneer on a beige muzzle, but Aurora did not cow. She stood tall, emerald eyes narrowed down her nose at Kyle, and she raised her hand to point at the door behind him. "I think it would be in your best interest if you leave now." She coldly informed him, and the slightest smirks quirked the corner of her lips. "Surely you have heard the stories of what becomes of men that refuse to show basic manners towards a lady here."
Kyle's cheeks paled for the slightest fraction of a second, and Aurora bit the inside of her cheek to keep from grinning outright. Kyle narrowed his eyes, straightening himself up. "Is that a threat, Miss Hedgehog, towards a patron of the Soleanna Opera House?" Kyle sneered.
"I haven't a clue what you could mean, sir. I only wished to warn an old friend of some alarming accidents that seem to befall the men that think it proper action to mishandle a woman within these walls." Aurora cordially replied.
Kyle's face twitched towards outrage, before he inhaled sharply, smoothed his quills back into place, and his apathetic, disdainful expression returned. "I shouldn't have expected any sort of refinement from a common urchin. My mistake." Heat flooded Aurora's cheeks as Kyle strode from her dressing room, and she hurried to latch the door behind him, letting out a breath of relief and heading behind her privacy partition to change out of her gown.
Stepping out behind the partition, Aurora wrapped herself snugly in the white lace of her dressing gown, but paused before she could reach her vanity. That obnoxious yellow bouquet was nowhere to be found, and instead, lying in front of the mirror was a single pink star lily, ornamented with a simple sleek black ribbon tied in a small bow. Aurora gingerly picked up the lily in trembling fingers, the sweet, heady scent filling her nose and fluttering her eyes.
The candles flickered out; little wisps of smoke rising unseen from the extinguished wicks, and a soft, lilting melody with no source filled the air. Aurora gasped quietly, her heart increasing its tempo, but raised her hand, and a small star of green light twinkled to life in her palm. The music seemed to sweetly caress and swirl around her, and guided her towards the ornate full-length golden mirror just beyond her vanity… towards the figure within the glass.
Shrouded completely in shadow, he watched her silently, considerately, and Aurora dared not speak, lest he vanish and never return as quickly as he appeared. Her emerald eyes drank him in, wonder and curiosity compelling her to study this illustrious hedgehog that many in the Opera House called demon. Called Phantom, and if Aurora were honest with herself, it was a rather apt moniker. Adorned completely in silken black—aside from the gleaming white mask that covered the entire right half of his face—from the sleek up-curve of his ebony quills, to the shimmery folds of his inky waistcoat and cloak, the only color to be found on this specter was the sharp crimson of the stripes in his quills, a perfect match to the luminous, consuming garnet hue of his eyes. Heat rose in Aurora's cheeks, tinting them a gentle pink, and a hint of a smirk appeared on his tanned muzzle.
"Phantom," the management sneered as they tossed his masterpieces and dictates for the theater away in disdain.
"Demon!" the male staff and patrons cried in the night as they suffered his swift and merciless punishments for daring to lay hands on the young women of the House.
"Angel of vengeance," the Matron explained in a hushed voice as she dried the tears of her frightened wards and tucked them back into their beds.
"Angel of music," Aurora breathed as she drifted ever closer to the mirror, unable to look away from her guardian angel, her mentor for the past several months. Always out of sight, yet always there in the dead of night, quietly coaching her singing and offering instruction to improve her abilities.
The Phantom smiled. "Hello, Aurora." His voice, a deep timber that sent shivers down Aurora's spine, was soft as a whisper, yet caressed her name with warmth, affection, and pride. "My Angel of Music… you performed so well." Delight bloomed in Aurora's chest, her eyes shining. "Both onstage and off… I had been prepared to deal with that insolent boy myself, and yet there was no need." The Phantom's ruby eyes dimmed to an avenging crimson, his lip curling back over glinting canines. "I still have half a mind to."
"He is gone, angel." Aurora quickly, desperately pointed out. If her angel left now, would he show himself to her again? It was a risk she did not want, not for anyone, least of all Kyle.
The Phantom's eyes brightened, and he regarded her with an expression of gentle fondness that stole Aurora's breath. "He is." Her angel agreed. "And you are here." He extended his hand to her, covered in sleek black leather, and Aurora barely dared to breathe. "Come?"
"Angel?" Aurora faintly questioned, blinking awed green eyes to meet amused pools of ruby.
"My muse has performed wonderfully tonight, and has earned a great reward." The Phantom explained. "Though she can refuse it if she so desires."
Aurora stared at the invitation, reached for it with fingers trembling not of fear, but barely contained exhilaration. The Phantom's ruby gaze held such intoxicating heat that her heart threatened to burst… He was her angel; how could she refuse him? Her fingers slipped into his grasp, and she willingly followed his pull through the mirror. The Phantom smiled, raising her knuckles to his lips and pressing a delicate kiss to her fingers, then picked up a torch with his free hand. Brilliant red sparks ignited the torch with a bright orange flame. "Come," He squeezed her hand and led Aurora deeper into the shadows, away from the mirror. Aurora glanced about the pale stone walls and cement floors of the passageway, illuminated only by the torch, descending deeper and deeper down into the dark. The Phantom paid no mind to the winding openings they passed along the way, simply pulled Aurora close to him as they walked. Aurora hid a smile behind her hand. "What?" He asked.
"I've discovered the Phantom's secret." Aurora gestured to the narrow paths that she knew would lead to various entry points throughout the Opera House.
The Phantom raised a brow at her, a smirk decorating his muzzle, his eyes glinting behind the mask. "There are many more than that, Aurora." Aurora's breath caught, and the Phantom chuckled. He guided her towards a murky canal, with only a small black gondola with enough room for two tied to a cement post. "Watch your step, angel." Carefully, the Phantom aided Aurora into the tiny seat, then hopped aboard behind her and cast off with a long pole-like oar. Aurora shivered against the chill off the canal, but stilled when heavy, warm silk was tucked around her shoulders. "I should have forethought you would find the canals cold; forgive me." His voice brushed against her ear, remorseful and pained.
Aurora turned, her breath catching to find herself nose-to-nose with her angel, his surprised ruby eyes overwhelming her enchanted green. Warmth sang through her fur, and it had nothing to do with the Phantom's cloak draped over her. "I'm alright." She whispered.
The Phantom gazed at her with that gentle fondness once more. "We're nearly there." He promised, resuming the gondola's steady drift down the waterway. Aurora wrapped the cloak snug around her, the faint but heady fragrance of lavender filling her nose. The Phantom guided the gondola down the canal, towards a rising grate that separated a spacious cove from the waterway. Aurora tilted her head and gasped at the golden light of many candelabras that illuminated the cove. The Phantom hopped out of the gondola and tied it off, carefully aiding Aurora out beside him, his expression almost bashful. Aurora didn't need to ask where they were, where he had brought her. With the assortment of different instruments in one section that included a polished black organ and stacks upon stacks of sheet music, a low stone alcove that housed a comfortable velvet seat and was surrounded by stuffed bookshelves, and a long table laden with papers, fabrics, and even a small model of the opera stage. Biting her lip, Aurora half-stepped towards it with a glance towards the Phantom, who nodded encouragingly.
The model was beautifully crafted, a perfect replica of the real theater, with shimmering golden paint and velvet scarlet curtains; Aurora's breath caught, her mouth dry, at the tiny figurine standing center stage with glossy pink quills and a beautiful emerald gown. Tearing her gaze away from the model opera, Aurora picked up one of the sheets of parchment, a script currently in revision… with her name repeatedly listed as one of the roles.
The Phantom frowned when Aurora turned back to face him, worry twisting his visible features at the confusion on her lovely face. "Is it too much, angel?" He fretted. "I just wanted-If you are overwhelmed, I can-,"
"Why?" Aurora whispered. Her angel paused, tilting his head at her. "Why me? Why choose me? There are so many others—greater, with greater talent, greater skill, so why choose me, a nothing-,"
"You are not nothing, Aurora." His growl echoed through the cove, and Aurora was frozen in place by the ferocious gleam in his eyes… but she felt no fear. Even as he stepped closer, even as the warm leather of his fingertips lightly brushed against her cheeks, her eyes fluttered, and she leaned into his near-imperceptible touch. His voice dropped to a reverent whisper. "You are magnificent... a true Angel of Music. I knew it the first time I heard you all those months ago; all you needed was technique, something I could teach you." His hands slipped down to take hers, his thumbs stroking her knuckles reverently. "And you have excelled past any expectations I had for you… There are none more worthy than you, and you have proved it so tonight. That's why I've brought you here; I wish you to be my muse, my star, my Angel of Music, because you alone can make my song take flight, Aurora."
Tears blurred Aurora's vision, but she blinked them away, enraptured by the earnest and hopeful expression on her angel's face. If it weren't for the gentle grip of his hands surrounding hers, the sweet heady lavender that intoxicated her senses, Aurora would be certain this was nothing but a dream. Her angel wanted her. Her! Out of every other woman in the Opera House, he'd chosen her. He'd heard something—seen something—in her, and had taken her under his wing, refining her until a unremarkable stone was a stunning diamond, fanned her spark until it was a consuming fire… A bashful smile spread across her lips. "It would be my honor to be my angel's muse." Aurora murmured. The grin that came upon his face outshone any star, magnificent and beautiful.
Neither noticed the dwindling hours of the night as the Phantom eagerly showcased each of his masterpieces for Aurora, even taking to his organ or other instruments when a particular piece captured her interest; performances that earned her praise and appreciation that she made sure to show equal fervor towards the gorgeous sculpted pieces of his scripts. In turn, Aurora graced him with a repertoire of songs, some of her childhood before coming to the Opera House as an orphan, some of her favorites from the operas she had heard over the years. For some, she tugged him up with her for a dance, laughing delightedly when he indulged her, but for many, she sat at his side on the organ bench and allowed her song to swell and surround the both of them.
"Think of me… Think of me fondly," Aurora trilled with a smile, giggling quietly when her angel closed his eyes with a serene smile, his fingers lightly dancing across the organ's keys. The white frigidity of his mask was such a stark contrast to the beautiful expressiveness of her angel's face… Aurora's curiosity rose along with her hand towards the mask. She wanted to see her angel as he's seen her…
Just as her fingertips brush the cool porcelain, his hand shot up and curled firmly around her wrist, and disapproving scarlet eyes burned into her startled emerald ones. "No, Aurora." He reprimanded sternly.
"Why do you wear it?" Aurora took her hand back from him, but did not reach for the mask again. "Why hide here in this lonely cove? Why create such beautiful music in such a dark place? Why resort to secrecy and sabotage to share your creations with the world?"
The Phantom bowed his head, his gaze refusing to leave the ivory keys of the organ even as he finally answered in a soft, aching whisper. "I do not belong in the world above. The mask, the darkness… they keep the evil I am contained… the monster hidden. If you were to see what lay beneath the mask, you would see nothing but the monster."
"No!" Aurora's protest rang through the cove, her hand shot out to take his, her stance shifting so she could peer stubbornly into his startled face. "I do not accept that, not for a moment! What monster could write such beautiful music? What evil could defend the honor of innocent women from horrific men?" She reached for him, cupped his cheek and gingerly turned her angel to meet her eyes. Emerald orbs shining with such determination the Phantom faltered under it… glowing with such devotion his heart ached with yearning. "Trust me, my angel, trust in my love to banish the darkness that clings to you." She pleaded.
The Phantom leaned his forehead against hers, closing his eyes and letting out a shaky exhale. The greatest desire of his heart warred ferociously against the desperate need of his self-preservation… To show her would be to lose her, and to lose her would be to lose the few sparks of light she'd sewn into his fragmented soul. He opened his eyes, the sorrow and heartache in his gaze like a knife in her heart. "The darkness is part of me, Aurora." He breathed, lowering his eyes and clenching his fist. "You may call me angel, but in truth, that is the furthest thing that I am."
Anger scorched through her stomach and raced up her throat, spewing words of venom that Aurora couldn't halt even if she tried. "If you truly believe that, then nothing I give you—my love, my voice, my heart—will be enough for you! If you are so insistent to wallow in your own darkness, then at least release me so one of us may be free of it!"
The Phantom stared at her with such pain, such hollowness, that Aurora almost took her words back, begged his forgiveness… he was her angel, could she bear to lose him? He held her heart, ignited her soul, to lose him would certainly kill her! Could she ever sing again, knowing it had been her angel to encourage her voice? Aurora had been alone for so long, could she bear the loss of the only one that stood at her side? Aurora blinked back tears and opened her mouth. "I shall escort you back." The Phantom agreed, pushing himself to his feet. "I must, or else those imbeciles will gather search parties for you."
Aurora's heart shattered in her chest, but she forced herself to nod and follow him to the gondola with dragging feet. She accepted his hand of aid, but this time, his cloak and lavender fragrance did nothing to alleviate the chill that seeped though her skin and into her bones, her heart, as they traveled through the canal and up the passageway. The Phantom hesitated before a heavy wooden door, his hand clenching around the heavy brass handle. Hope rose in Aurora's chest. "Beyond this door is the hall that leads to the ladies' quarters." He informed her softly, his ears tipped back, eyes downcast. "But, if I may have one last request of my angel before she leaves me?"
"Of course." Aurora immediately agreed. Perhaps this was her one last chance to convince her angel, to prove she was trustworthy, prove she was still worth his love.
The Phantom smiled, though it didn't reach his eyes, and he guided her away from the door and back through the catacombs, until he came to a small ladder under a thick iron hatch. Aurora shivered at the sudden burst of fresh but icy air, and the Phantom climbed through, reaching for her to aid her ascent.
Aurora blinked against the brightness of the early morning after spending so long in the dark with only the candlelight, drawing the Phantom's cloak tighter around her to ward off the cold. The heavens still gleamed with fading constellations in a pearly gray sky, the rooftops of Soleanna covered in a fresh layer of glittering white, and the Phantom took Aurora's hand and guided her towards the edge of the Opera House roof, clearing away the snow and sitting to face the East, patting the empty spot beside him invitingly. Ensuring the cloak would barricade against the cold stone, Aurora carefully settled herself on the ledge beside him.
"Ever since I first came to Soleanna, I've avoided the daylight." The Phantom whispered, his gaze intently watching the horizon beyond the city. "I would like to watch my first and last sunrise with my angel, while she is still mine… I've heard the sunrises in Soleanna are the most beautiful in the world." Aurora swallowed the ache in her throat, her heart screaming with longing and loss, but her heavy tongue unable to form the words to beg him to change his mind. Tears blurred her vision and stung her cheeks, until gentle fingertips brushed them away. "Aurora," Her angel sounded so pained, so broken, that she immediately looked to him, and her tears fell faster at the pure anguish in his features. "My angel of light… please do not cry." He begged.
"How can I not?" Aurora wept, ducking her head. She couldn't bear to look at him any longer, knowing he wasn't hers like she was his. "My angel does not love me as I love him… not enough to trust or want me to remain with him. How can I not mourn the loss of my love?"
"Aurora," His hands cupped her cheeks, gently forced her head up so her damp green eyes met his desperate ruby eyes, so full of distress and adoration that Aurora stilled, barely able to breathe. "Whatever you think of me, I beg of you, don't presume I do not love you, my muse, my angel. I love you with all my soul, I've loved you since I first heard you sing, and I will love you beyond my last breath."
"Then why?" Aurora demanded, fresh tears trailing down her cheeks. "Why push me away? How can you say you love me and not want me at your side?"
The Phantom swallowed, averting his eyes, his ears flattening against his head. "Because I am afraid." He let his hands fall from her face to grip her hands tightly and bring one up to brush against his mask. "I am afraid that, if you see me, I will lose you as I've lost everything else, and I-I cannot bear it. To see you look at me with hatred, with scorn and fear as others have, when you once loved me… It would surely destroy what broken shards remain of me now."
Aurora stared at him, at his eyes that refused to look up at her, the withdrawn shoulders to prepare for a blow, his ears pinned to his quills to soften the horrible words he was certain would come, his hand trembling against hers as he holds it to his mask. If Aurora thought her heart had broken before, it crumbled to dust in the wake of her angel's fear. She lifted her other hand to cup his other cheek, biting back the tears when he flinched minutely at her touch. "My angel, how can I do anything but love you?" She murmured, smiling softly when his shocked ruby gaze snapped to her damp emeralds. "No more talk of darkness, my love, forget these fears. I'm here with you, here beside you, and I will not leave you. Let me be your freedom from this nightmare you've known, let my love be your light."
"Aurora…" The Phantom breathed; his ruby eyes glistened with awe, his expression so full of wonder. He swallowed, his voice vulnerable and small. "All I've ever wanted is to be free of this endless night, and you at my side." He held her hands against his chest, so she could feel the tremulous beat of his heart. "If you love me as you say, then say you will love me every waking moment. Say you need me with you, now and always. Promise me all you say is true."
Aurora squeezed his hands, resting her forehead against his, her vow gleaming in the light of the rising sun. "I promise. Anywhere you go, let me go, too. You are my angel, and to love me is all I ask of you."
"You know I do." A smile twitched on his lips. "And I am not your angel, my love… but your Shadow." Shadow guided her hand back to his face, to the edge of his mask, and closed his eyes. He held back the instinctual flinch when the porcelain was peeled away, and couldn't open his eyes again. Shadow trusted her, of course he did, he loved her, but her gasp of horror-he couldn't make himself face it-he knew what she would see-the remnants of hellfire and blood that marred his face-Shadow flinched at the featherlight touch-
"Oh my love," Shadow's eyes flew open, stunned at the sight of tears in his beloved's st ricken gaze, flooding her pale cheeks as she gazed at him. "How cruel has this world been to you?" Aurora whimpered, sickened at the sight of truly horrific scars that stretched from the base of his right ear down to the edge of his jaw; rough, angry red skin highlighted by the lack of fur that had yet to grow back, and possibly never would. "Who could do something so-so monstrous to my beautiful Shadow?"
Something wet and warm flowed down Shadow's cheeks, but he didn't care to find out what it was. None of it mattered-not his scars, not his demons, not his darkness-none of it held power in the wake of Aurora's love. Her words soothed the agony his soul had been lost in, gathered the broken shards and sewed them with threads of pure light until he no longer resembled the monster he'd once seen in the mirror. Warmth bloomed across Shadow's body, golden light surrounded Aurora; pure wonder shone in bright ruby eyes. Aurora nuzzled into his palm, a sweet smile on her lips, and Shadow could no longer resist the pull towards her. He moved slowly, cautiously, but she only tilted her face to meet him eagerly.
Warmth and light that had nothing to do with the rising sun in the East flooded the rooftop of the Soleanna Opera House. As two lovers shared their first kiss, two souls sang in joy as darkness and fear fled in the face of love and light. In the harmony of an everlasting dawn.
Thanks so much to @e-vay for commissioning me for this fic! I had so much fun with this one; it's so different than anything I've done before! Aurora the Hedgehog belongs to @e-vay. Want more Shadora? Check out @e-vay's Tumblr here. Commissions will be closing on November 1st!
