*Christine's POV*
I feel the sun on my face, causing me to wake up. I open my eyes and sit up. Looking around, I forget where I am for a minute. I then remember where I am and what today is. Today is the day I perform for the king.

I climb out of the bed and walk over to the wardrobe. Opening it, I pull out my blue dress and put it on. As I put it on, I begin to think about how I will perform today. I learned and practiced the song with Erik last night, so I should be fine, but I can't help but feel nervous.

Once I'm dressed, I head out to the living room area to see Erik asleep in a chair. I stay quiet so I won't wake him, but I walk over and look at him. His eyes are closed and his breathing is light and even. He looks so peaceful when he's sleeping. The only thing that is unusual is the mask he's wearing. I wonder what's under it.....

I take a step towards him and the wood creeks underneath me. This causes him to stir and me to backup. I watch as Erik sits up in the chair and stretch.

"Good morning, Erik," I say.

Erik looks over at me with his beautiful golden eyes. "Good morning to you as well," he says. "Did you sleep well?"

"I slept fine," I answer. "What about you? You could have asked to sleep in the bed and I would have taken the couch."

"No," Erik says. "You needed the bed. You have to perform today. Are you ready?"

"I think so," I say, nervously.

Erik stands and walks over to me. "You're going to be amazing," he says.

I look up at him and realize how close we are. "Will you be at the performance today," I ask him.

"Of course I will," he answers, causing me to smile.

I then look at his mask. I'm about to ask him why he wears it when I suddenly hear voices. It's the guards! "The guards are coming," I say. "You need to hide!"

"Okay," he says. "I'll see you at your performance." I nod before he turns and runs to the left hallway, soon disappearing from sight.

I turn back to the door as I hear the sound of a key entering the lock. The door opens a second later and the two guards who brought me here yesterday enter. "Ready to go," one of the guards asks me with a gruff voice.

"Yes," I answer, trying to not show how offended I am about how rude they're treating me.

"Then let's go," the other guard says. They both walk towards me and each take an arm, like yesterday, as we take the trip back to the palace where my fate will be decided by my performance.

*Time Skip*
I look down at the beautiful outfit I'm wearing. It's a red, green, and gold dress with a matching scarf that is around my shoulders and a small gold crown on my head. Even though I feel beautiful in this dress, I'm still nervous about my performance.

What if I mess up or forget a line of the song? What if my voice cracks or I sing to soft? What if I disappoint Erik? That one worries me the most, disappointing Erik. I don't know why, but I have feelings for Erik. Whether they're feeling of a true friendship or love, I can't tell. But they can't be real; we only met yesterday...Right?

My thoughts are interrupted by the voice of a woman. "Are you ready dear," the woman asks.

I take a deep breath. "Yes," I say.

"Then come with me, miss," she says before leading me to the stage. The stage is in the middle of the town square with the king's seat with a direct view. The stage isn't used often since our kingdom isn't known for amazing performances, so me singing is a huge event.

I step onstage and see a huge crowd along with the king in his seat. The crowd silences when they see me walk on stage. The musicians are on the other side of the stage and wait for me to give them the signal. It was now or never. I nod my head with a nervous smile and they start playing.

I begin to scan the crowd, looking for Erik, but I don't see him. "Think of me," I sing with a shaky voice. "Think of me fondly when we say goodbye. Remember me every so often promise me you'll try."

I'm about to give up when I suddenly see him, Erik. There he is, right behind the king's seat with the hood concealing most of his face, but I can see the snow white mask peaking out from under it. I smile as I feel myself grow confident. "On that day, that not so distant day, when you were far away and free," I sing as I feel my voice grown stronger. "If you ever find a moment, spare a thought for me."

I glance over at Erik and see him nod in approval. I feel a smile spread across my face as I continue the song. I sing my heart out, my motivation not just to live, but to also make Erik proud.

I reach the end of the song and know that the big finish is coming. I take a deep breath and nail it perfectly. As I sing that part, I throw the scarf up and go to my knees and bow.

I hear the crowd erupt in cheers and applause. I stand and curtsy. I glance over at Erik again and see a small smile on his face. The smile was all I needed to know that I made him proud.

Suddenly, the crowd goes silent and I see why. The king is next to me onstage. I turn and look at the king. "Miss Daae," he says. "Your father was right. You really do have the voice of an angel."

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Sorry guys that it took me forever to update, but school has been super stressful. I hope this chapter makes up for it. Thanks for reading :)