The King's Ruler
Summary: In this Game of Chess that is the Life of Ciel Phantomhive, Ciel thinks he is the King and the Player, manipulating everyone around him. But he is wrong. Ciel is merely just another Chess Piece being controlled by Sebastian, even if he doesn't see it. Set 10 years Later-ish.
Very vague spoilers for up to the Cruise Ship Arc.
I do not own Kuroshitsuji, the manga, anime nor characters. All go to their respective copyright holders. Quotes taken from chapter 13- That Butler, attending a funeral pt2.
Hesitating for just one second can be fatal, like a moment in chess. She hesitated and lost sight of her next move. That is all it was.
That's why I did not hesitate.
Ciel said that so many years ago, and even then Sebastian didn't think it was going to be true. Sure the boy often backed up all of the big taking he did, but this was one Sebastian was sure his Young Master was exaggerating about. But now, looking at him and looking back over all of the years they have spent together, he knew better. The evidence was clear in the emptiness of the Phantomhive Manor they resided in, where only the King and his Knight resided.
Sebastian had always been amazed by how grown up the small boy was. It had drawn him in, that boy's attitude, drawn his interest so much that Sebastian was willing to form a contract with him. He was sure that the boy wasn't going to give him a boring game. He needed something exciting to fill the time between now and eternity. And Ciel had provided that. And over the years, again and again, the boy kept on surpassing his expectations. The boy proved everything he thought he knew about mortals was wrong- and he's had many centuries worth of experience to base his view of humans upon. The words the boy said, the actions the boy did, the promises and determinations he made, they all exceeded what Sebastian had learnt to expect from Humans. And he was glad for that. He knew this soul would be worth the wait. It would be one of the best he had ever tasted. It would be one of the best intervals between meals he had had before too.
And in some ways, he didn't want their game to end.
That's right, Sebastian in some ways wished never to eat this boy's soul for the game they were participating in was just too fun.
Being a butler was annoying, as was working with those three idiots. But then again, even those three were interesting in their own ways. All four humans had risen from the depths of hell, stood on their own feet and walked forwards… And he'd been the one to start it all off. He'd been the hand, the thinnest of spider's threads that they used to pull themselves out of hell. And that was the power of a Demon; to control people's lives like that, to make or break them. Most Demons got drunk on that power, but Sebastian had lived long enough to tire of the feeling. But that didn't mean he didn't find some amusement in watching the humans struggle in the mud.
Sure the Contract bound him to Ciel, but more importantly, it bound Ciel to Him. And that was an important difference. Yes he had to take orders, but it was up to his will in how he interpreted those wishes and orders. And many times he had taught Ciel the importance of specifying exactly what Ciel had wanted. And in some ways it actually meant being more vague than specific. He had loved to watch his Young Master's face when he finally figured out the shape of the missing piece- guessed what Sebastian had been holding back. And it was in these small ways that Sebastian reminded Ciel who was the real Ruler of this game. He was the one who could toy with Ciel's life, to do with it as he pleased, for Ciel was His meal.
For a King to survive, it is good for him to be able to skilfully manipulate the other Pieces, using both the Knight and the Queen and any other Pawns at your disposal. Beneath the throne the bodies of all your pieces will pile up along with your sins. If the King is taken then it is Game Over. You Must Not Lose.
Ciel personified this perfectly. And over the years, Ciel had used every piece at his disposal to gain his ends. And slowly the corpses had piled high. Ciel's throne was higher than anyone else's, even the Queen of England's. Ciel kept on moving onwards, or should that be upwards, until Sebastian was the only piece left. His throne was perched on the ended lives of everyone Ciel had known, showing he was the King of the world around him and no one else. He was the Manipulator, and nobody would gain the upper hand on him. Ciel's throne was piled so high that all he saw were Pawns anymore, although it was possible that he had seen people as nothing but Pawns since the Game had started.
So the King of the World did what he did best, Manipulating everyone until the Pawns either had no use or were broken in their duties.
Madam Red was manipulated into being revealed as half of Jack the Ripper and later killed due to hesitation.
Elizabeth had eventually married Ciel, not out of love but out of necessity on the King's side. Lizzie soon became yet another corpse under the throne when she was killed during an infiltration, creating an opportunity for Ciel to destroy the opposing Chess Pieces. Over the years he had learnt that Lizzie was more than a pretty face, despite how she had tried to hide her Fencing Prowess from him, so he had put her and her skills to good use. In this world, Beauty was as much a weapon as her Foil was.
Lau served his purpose as an Informant until he was killed by the Underworld for giving away their secrets to The Queen's Guard Dog.
Like Sebastian suspected, Bard, Mey-Rin and Finnian were killed during separate attacks on the Mansion, doing their job as Pawns to throw away their lives to protect the King.
The Undertaker was used as Ciel saw fit, although was far more unpredictable than any of Ciel's other pieces. Ciel though would not be Manipulated in return for very long and soon saw through the Undertaker's plot, dealing with him as necessary.
The Noah's Ark Circus Troupe had been manipulated ever since Ciel had stepped foot in their domain. He had even entered with the aim of manipulation. So using words and acting and charm and the very rare sight of his smile (or whatever that twitching of the lips was called for he had forgotten how to smile a very long time ago), he had twisted and pulled and moulded those Circus Members into revealing who they were working for and creating an opportunity to cut their strings from the Puppeteer's hands. They became nothing more that Pawns lining the route from his side to that of their King's, opening the way for Ciel to waltz in with his Knight and kill the King and all those affected by the King's poison.
Ciel had even manipulated his very own Queen of England in the form of Charles Grey. What was supposed to be a punishment turned into yet another game, orchestrated by the King and his Knight- A play performed to an unwilling audience and unsuspecting actors. Charles Grey the Manipulator soon became the Manipulated in their play since they were always so many steps ahead.
And on and on the list went, a record of Chess Pieces moved marked down by the Axis of Time and Place. And through it all, Sebastian stood by the side of the amusing King, watching, participating, pretending to be nothing more than a simple Knight. But those watching the Game couldn't be more wrong. For even the King and the self-proclaimed Player in this Game of Chess did not know there was a true Player moving the Pieces around the Board called Life.
For it was Sebastian himself.
If it is your wish I will follow you everywhere. Even if your throne crumbles, even if your shiny crown turns to rust, even if the bodies pile up endlessly, on top of the pile of corpses, beside you as you softly lay down I will be. Until I hear the words Checkmate.
Over these past years, Sebastian has gone and done just that. As the Corpses and Sins pile higher under the Young Master's Throne, Sebastian has stood next to Ciel watching, waiting, helping. He whispers suggestive comments, does what he likes whilst under the confinements of his self-given place, fiercely protects his next Meal, all to pass the time between now and eternity. For in this Game of Chess, where Ciel thinks of himself as the Player, the word Checkmate is not the aftermath of the final move. No it is merely the precursor. When Ciel utters his last word, it will be Sebastian's time to remind Ciel that he was just another piece among many, just one more faceless and nameless corpse under Sebastian's own throne. Just one more meal inside his stomach.
In this Game of Chess that is the Life of Ciel Phantomhive, Sebastian is truly the Player since he is not of this world to begin with.
Just to be sure we all get the chess references. Ciel is the King, Sebastian the Knight, as said by himself in the Manga quotes. In the Manga quote, the Queen referred to is Madam Red since it's the scene in front of the Prostitute's Grave after Madam Red's Funeral. As such I nearly always refer to the Queen of England by her full title to avoid confusion. And other uses of King are often meant to be the Enemy Leader depending on the time/Arc. The Use of Player is meant to mean the person outside of the chessboard moving the pieces. This differs from Ciel being the King, since Ciel is willing to step onto the Board and be used himself- eg entering the circus- rather than just sitting around ordering everyone else.
Don't really know where this came from, but the plot bunnie attacked when I was watching the show once again with my brother. So I decided to write it. It took a couple of hours, and admittedly it is now 2AM in the morning as I type this, so hopefully it's not too weird. It's just one hell of a Chess Metaphor after all.
It makes you wonder though, if Ciel was a demon with Sebastian's experience, how a Chess Match between the pair of them would go. Although it's hard to judge since Sebastian is such a crucial part of Ciel's life, and as basically explained here, he nudges Ciel in the right direction, covers for and protects him and makes sure that Ciel is on the right Path (if you didn't get what on earth I have written in the fic above, that sentence sums it up). Lol the Right Path of Wrong Revenge. Though that doesn't affect the way in which Ciel manipulates others, it just might be harder to do without Sebastian providing the man power.
And I'm going to stop there for Ciel without Sebastian would not be Kuroshitsuji.
Phantom Hitman 1412
First Published 16 July 2012