Chapter Text
Victor was at a loss. Elizabeth did not seem to be improving, if anything her confinement seemed to be causing her increased distressed. A voice in the back of his head told him that what he was doing was cruel, that he was behaving no better than Alphonse had. He pushed it down as far as he could.
Elizabeth must not be in her right mind. That was the only logical explanation. Or you were wrong about the creature and his capacity for goodness…
No! He had to think of William and Justine. He had to remember the crimes the creature, Adam, as Elizabeth insisted on calling him, had committed. How could a creature that killed a child, and framed an innocent woman not be a monster?
What if William really was an accident?
What if you are also responsible for Justine?
Once again, Victor refused to entertain that increasingly persistent voice in the back of his head, he could not let such thoughts poison his resolve. Still, his uneasiness over the whole affair was causing his head to swim. His headaches had grown worse and worse as of late and he feared he was on the brink of illness. He cursed his own frailty. This was the worst time for his health to fail him.
Victor had to take care of Elizabeth. It was his responsibility to take care of her. For as long has he had known her she had been given to him to care for and he had done his best to meet their parents’ expectations as Elizabeth’s designated protector. A burden that still weighed heavily on him long after his parents were gone. Perhaps heavier still for their loss. He had tried to escape his duty and his impending marriage by throwing himself into his work only to have his creation come to life and destroy everything, including Elizabeth. It was with that guilt on his mind he regarded her current state. A scarred madwoman who had deluded herself into believing the demon who’d captured her was capable of love.
It wasn’t her fault that she didn’t understand that Victor only wanted what was best for her. But she would in time. Elizabeth, as Victor had known her when she was well, was sensible and patient. She just needed more time and her brother’s care to undo the damage done by the creature.
Through all of it, what Victor couldn’t figure out, was the absence of the creature. He was sure it was only a matter of time before “Adam” returned to finish his path of destruction, and yet…
There was no sign of him. The spring remained peaceful as days grew warmer and every flower and tree burst into brilliant color. It defied reason that the monster would simply quit his chase. Still, Victor’s late-night vigils yielded no sight of him.
…
As Victor approached the window of his study one afternoon, he took a moment to enjoy the feeling of the warm rays of light streaming through. Perhaps it would do Elizabeth and himself some good to walk through the garden with Henry, as they had when they had been children. Back before the nightmare had destroyed everything.
Things had been growing tense between him and Henry, Henry did not like that Elizabeth was confined to her room and whenever he tried to speak to Victor he would express doubts that she was confused or addled. Victor had assured him that he’d examined Elizabeth’s head injury and found it sufficiently deep to make injury to her brain more than plausible.
Henry was no doctor and had deferred to Victor’s judgment in the end, though he still insisted that Elizabeth be allowed out as often as possible. Victor was loath to deny him. Good, sweet, Henry, his kindness truly was a blessing and a soothing balm to Victor’s ever fraying nerves.
Yes, he though, the three of us spending a day in the garden is just what we need. I’m sure that will provide the healing we need.
…
Elizabeth was surprised to see Victor burst into her room, this time smiling instead of looking sorrowful and she couldn’t help but feel a little suspicious of his intention.
“Good morning, Elizabeth! I thought today we’d try something different; how would you like to go out to the garden with Henry and myself?”
Elizabeth hesitated for a moment, truthfully, she didn’t want to spend any amount of time with Victor these days but the thought of leaving her room and being allowed outside was too much to resist. She nodded and tentatively replied, “I would like that.”
Victor beamed, “I knew you would, you always loved the garden!” then he was leading her by the hand downstairs and for just a fleeting instance Elizabeth felt like they were children again. Something in her heart broke. Had there been no Alphonse, no Caroline and no impending marriage Victor might never have hidden himself away at Ingolstadt, perhaps they could all have been children together for just a little longer…
But then there would be no Adam. A twinge of pain squeezed in her chest at the thought of never having met Adam.
The fact of the matter was that Alphonse and Caroline had spun the wheels that had led them to this fate long ago. There was no outcome that could have been happy for any of them. Her foster parents had turned the manor into an inescapable tomb where lives were slowly snuffed out under the burden of reputation and duty. Adam had been built from pain and suffering so of course, that was what he had been made of. That was what Victor saw when he looked at Adam and Elizabeth was beginning to realize that was all he was capable of seeing.
Henry was in the kitchens making himself a lunch when they arrived downstairs. He grinned and his smile was like pure sunshine.
“Elizabeth! I’m glad to see you, how are you feeling today?”
She mustered up a weak smile, “Better now that I’m out of that horrid room,” she said.
“I thought it might be a nice change have a picnic in the garden, like old times,” said Victor.
“That’s a wonderful idea! There’s jam and scones we can take to eat, those will be wonderful with some tea. Elizabeth why don’t you help me load up the tray and Victor can fetch us a blanket,” Henry suggested.
Victor hesitated for a moment then decided that it was fine to leave Elizabeth with Henry.
After he left Henry turned to Elizabeth, “Alright, how are you really feeling?”
“Henry, I have to get out of here,” Elizabeth hissed grabbing his shirt collar and giving him a small shake.
“I thought you might say that,” Henry replied with a nod, “I don’t like that Vic’s got you locked up either and I don’t think you’re mad like he says.”
Oh, lovely Henry! Wonderful Henry! Elizabeth could have cried. Instead, she settled for flinging her arms around him, “Will you help me? I need to get back and soon! Or Adam actually might come looking for me. He and Victor can’t meet, it would be disastrous.”
Henry placed his hands on her shoulders and drew her away from him so he could look into her eyes, “If you escape Victor is just going to follow you, he hasn’t given up on finding and destroying the creature. I haven’t seen him so obsessed since Ingolstadt. Elizabeth I’m afraid of what he might do. While he was building that thing he hardly ate or slept and he stooped to acts I would never have thought him capable. He desecrated corpses, he robbed graves. He was so unlike the Victor we grew up with that I felt like I didn’t know him at all,” he gave her a helpless look.
Elizabeth clutched for his hands, “I know, Henry, I know. I just don’t know what to do about him. He won’t listen to me, I can tell him over and over again that Adam is not a monster and he refuses to believe it,” she held up her hand where her silver ring glinted on her finger, “Adam is more husband to me than Victor could ever be. I don’t expect anyone to understand, or even accept it, but I will be content if we are left in peace.”
Henry took her hand, examined the ring with a somber look, “He gave this to you?”
Elizabeth smiled and gazed down at it, turning the silver band around on her finger, “He did, he likes to look for treasure in crow’s nests. He has a deep, pure love for nature and he showed me so much wonder in it. I only wish I could have met him before William did. I wish I could have been there the night Victor abandoned him and spared all of us the suffering.”
“You really do love him,” he held her hand for a moment and looked at her sadly, “After what happened with William and Justine, I don’t think Victor will ever forgive him. I can’t condemn him for that, he has a right to his anger, but I’m tired of constant suffering. I’m tired of being held hostage by ghosts and the memories of the dead,” his voice caught, he trembled a little.
Elizabeth kissed his cheek, “I know, Henry. I want nothing more than for those of us who are left to actually live and find some joy in the lives we have left. I want that for Adam too, his life has been nothing but suffering from the minute of his birth and all it’s taken to transform him is a little kindness. Please, help me convince Victor to let me go. Adam and I don’t need his understanding or his forgiveness, just our freedom and there need be no more tragedy!” she pleaded.
“I-I can try. I worry that Victor is beyond hope, he is consumed and I fear it will destroy him,” he replied.
Before Elizabeth could give Henry any words of comfort Victor returned, a blanket folded over his arm.
“Are we ready?” he asked cheerfully.
Elizabeth and Henry nodded, though it did not escape Victor that a heaviness seemed to hang over them both. Choosing once again to ignore it he let Henry and Elizabeth carry the food to the garden.
Once the blanket had been spread, they sat and ate, the silence awkward at first but then Henry brought up a book he had read and Elizabeth and Victor found themselves unable to resist chatting with him. Before long Henry was acting out scenes for them and for the first time since Victor had left for Ingolstadt the three of them fill the garden with familiar laughter. Ernest, drawn to the sound, joined them. He needed to be near his siblings and Elizabeth noticed that he seemed to cling quietly to her, as though he were afraid she’d vanish again. When he put his head in her lap she stroked his hair and sang softly to him.
The moment of peace carried on until the shadows began to stretch and the day came to an end. The four returned to their rooms. When Victor led Elizabeth back to hers and pulled out the key to lock her in she threw him a pleading look. His hand shook, at length he pocketed the key and wrapped his arms around her.
“Please try to remember that we love each other. This is as hard for me as for you but I swear! I only want to protect you,” he said tearfully, “I-I’ll leave it unlocked if you swear not to leave tonight.”
Elizabeth sighed and gave a defeated nod. Where would she run to anyway? Victor would only track her down and then he and Adam would fight until one of them was dead
She had told Adam to wait for her. To stay where he was. Hopefully he would listen and he and Victor would never cross paths again. Maybe after a time he would give up waiting and take her for lost. It broke her heart to think he might believe she abandoned him. Perhaps if she was lucky Adam would find a life without her. A life of peace. Perhaps even another love. She prayed life would be kind to him.
“I understand, please don’t lock me in anymore. I won’t go anywhere, I promise. I will not speak of returning to Adam again,” she said.
The look of hope and relief on Victor’s face made her want to slap him again. How dare he look so optimistic when her own hope for freedom and happiness was dying? Even now the walls were closing in, sealing her away from the sun. Locked in the labyrinth to rot.
She was numb when Victor kissed her goodnight and when she curled up in her empty bed she wept.
…
As night fell Adam scratched away at his journal, the pen working feverishly across the pages while Heidi slept in the bed he normally shared with Elizabeth. The little girl was feeling Elizabeth’s absence and had cried when Adam had tried to put her to bed in her own room. Lacking the will to force her, he had relented and settled her under Elizabeth’s quilt, rubbing her back and reading to her until she fell asleep.
Now he wrote:
Another day passes without sign or word from Elizabeth. I grow anxious and fearful that she is held captive. Gretel’s words trouble me. I had promised to wait, but can such a promise be kept if Elizabeth’s freedom is at stake?
There is the matter of Heidi, she cannot simply be left but neither can I take her to Geneva. I will ask Gretel if she can keep her, or send word to Peter to see if he can find a place for her. I am loathe to abandon the child for she is dear to me but I cannot continue to care for her alone and I cannot face the endless nights without Elizabeth. If this must end in bloodshed, so be it. I have done with fantasies of making peace with my maker.
Once arrangements have been made, I will strike out. Victor Frankenstein will not deprive me of my mate again…