He's a Lady!
Chapter One
Author's forward: I originally wrote this from a prompt a friend gave me almost two years ago and I decided to finally spruce it up a little and set her sailing.
Thanks for checking it out and I hope you all like it, if so then I'll write some more and maybe develop this to be larger than just a simple, bizarre, one shot pilot.
So please leave any questions, comments, or suggestions, and feel free to pm me as well.
Without any further ado;
…
In the light filtering through the flower motif curtains a small form began rousing in the warm bed at the centre of a bedchamber.
A weak drowsy voice began to speak up from under the billowing sheets.
"S-Sebastian"
Having now crawled through the layers of thick sheeting the owner of the voice began rubbing their eyes as they threw their hand instinctively for the servant-bell's rope. In the still dark room the hand struggled to find the thick rouge material which ought to have been hanging there.
Disgruntled by this small inconvenience the owner of the voice turned their head to help locate the rope, expecting to see the bedside table adorned with the small dart board, water coupe, and his small plant. A feeling of confusion and brief surprise began to take hold.
Rather than the small familiar bedside table with his darts, Ciel saw a large and elegant boudoir.
"What bloody room am I in?" Ciel voiced aloud.
Turning to look around the room he began to realize he had never seen this bedroom before.
The window was on the opposite side to his room, there was the boudoir beside the bed, and there was a large ornate armoire which was composed of three connecting pieces running from under the window on the left of the room, to the wall opposite the bed.
The wallpaper was a striped pattern of light blue columns with pink bows and a flower motif similar to the thin curtains covering the windows.
In addition to the copious amount of flowers there were dolls and stuffed bears, and other animals on almost every flat surface in the room.
The mounting evidence finally hit home and Ciel realised where he now found himself,
"T-this is a lady's room!" Ciel finally announced out loud.
His voice quivered, half in shock and half in terror. His thoughts began to race, where am I? Whose home am I in!?
Ciel threw the covers off and was about to jump out of bed when the bangs of his hair fell down and obscured his view.
Blonde… bangs
He looked at the hair in surprise and horror. Bringing his hand to brush the locks out of his eyes he realized that the hair on the sides of his head was also much heavier than usual. And slowly he brought his hands up to either side.
Long, thick, curly, hair seemingly wrapped itself around his hands.
Grabbing two handfuls of the long locks he brought it into his lap, and thus into full view.
It was bright, golden blonde.
"W-what… w-what i-is this?" He managed to force out.
He then felt his head to tell if the hair had been fixed to him, like a wig as some kind of a joke, but as he pulled it immediately manifested that it was actually his hair; it hurt if he pulled it and it moved when he moved his head.
Then he realized what his hands looked like, they had shrunk in size and his nails were now as long as a lady's. His wrists were even thinner than before, and his skin had a light rose colouring as opposed to his familiar sunless pale.
Then he saw what he was wearing, it was a frilly, thin, nightgown with a low, liberal, V-neck with a thin white string laced across the V, containing his chest.
His eyes grew wider still.
"T-th… those… those are…"
His face was contorting into an expression of world shattering dumbfounded-ness.
"Those are breasts!" He finally yelled out.
He threw himself out of the bed and immediately turned towards the mirror on the nearby boudoir.
To his horror he saw a familiar face looking back at him. Though to his unbearable sense of dread, it was not his own.
A small nose, bright, emerald eyes, soft cheeks, and a curved feminine chin…
The face looking back at him in the mirror was that of Elizabeth's.
He stood staring for what seemed like a full minute before becoming immediately light headed and dizzy.
There was no contract seal over his eye, and he felt no sinister power reflected back at him simply because it wasn't there.
He stepped backwards and ran his hands down his cheeks and chin, feeling the face that stared back at him.
The jaw started to chatter nervously in his hands as his voice spoke out; "I… I can't believe it…"
He whispered to himself before finally collapsing backwards onto the circular carpet to the side of the bed. The laying body of a plush teddy-bear cushioned the fall and he shut his eyes while whispering a chant to himself;
'This isn't real, this isn't real, this isn't real!"
He hoped that this was simply a fantastical nightmare… A dream that'd he'd be waking up from at any moment…
But the feeling of the carpet's fibres under him,
The soft lace of the gown,
The air against his skin and the fatigue in his body from waking…
It was all very real.
His ears were ringing with the ambient silence of the room and over his stressful breathing he could hear movement in the great house.
Servants were going to their work, lighting fires, opening the windows, waking the family…
'Oh God… Elizabeth's family!' He suddenly thought.
'What the hell am I going to do!?' he brought a hand to cover his mouth.
'This must be a dream… this must be a dream!'
Outside he heard approaching footsteps and as the door opened he tried to move his neck so that he'd be able to see. But all the strength had left his body and his muscles dared not move or obey any command.
He lay rigid and motionless, chattering and breathing rapidly as panic began to claw its' icy grip around his chest.
'Sebastian…' he thought, 'What am I going to do!'
The footsteps entered the room and Elizabeth's lady's maid Paula entered carrying a small serving tray and a single item on its surface. A diminutively small light blue china cup sat, steaming, in the middle of the silver tray.
It was about the size of a shot glass and Paula carefully made sure not to spill a drop as she pushed the door open and out of her way.
"Good morning my lady!" Paula announced, her voice was jovial and pleasant. Excited and filled with optimism. Inside, if he weren't panicking, Ciel would have been disgusted if Sebastian ever greeted him that way.
As Paula took a slow step into the darkened bedroom she raised her eyes from the tray in her hands and towards her lady's empty bed.
Immediately puzzled Paula's eyes looked downwards and as soon as she saw Elizabeth on the floor she exclaimed; "My lady!"
Dropping low Paula set the tray on the carpeted floor and rushed towards her ladyship.
Ciel finally regained control of 'his' body and as Paula descended he immediately felt the need to bring his arms close to his chest as he shivered and shook nervously.
"I-I'm f-fine!" he snapped.
Paula, oblivious to the words grabbed hold of the edge of the blanket from the bed and pulled it off and around Ciel.
"My lady, did you fall out of bed?"
Paula's eyes searched Ciel over for any signs of trauma and he continued to shiver and chatter from the panic.
"My goodness you're shivering!"
Pulling the blanket tighter Paula wrapped her arms around her lady and hugged her, her voice cooing comfortingly; "It's okay my lady!"
She started, "I'm here for you! Let's stand you up and get you dressed."
Ciel wanted to protest but his tongue did a loop and twist in his mouth and no words came out.
What could he have said?
"Sit just here my lady!" Paula directed Ciel to the edge of the bed and helped him sit down on the billowing, plush, cushion.
"I'll open the blinds and get some light in here for us!"
Paula sped towards the window and threw open the thin curtains. Beautiful English sunlight poured in through the glass and the room's bright wallpaper reflected the light so much that Ciel's eyes felt blinded by it.
"I've brought you some of the espresso your brother brought home from Italy! It's already been making the rounds with us in the servant's hall, my lady you just have to try it!"
Ciel still shook quietly under the blanket and clutched at the edges of the sheet helplessly.
"P-Paul-l-la…" he chattered out.
She furrowed her brow as she stepped closer to him.
"My lady you're still shivering?"
Reaching a hand forwards Paula pressed the back of it against Ciel's forehead.
"My goodness you're ice cold and clammy!" Paula recoiled her hand in distress, "You didn't sleep all night on the floor did you milady?"
Ciel shook his head and the blonde hair flew from side to side emphatically, "N-n-no!" he managed.
Paula's features softened slightly and she sighed in relief, "Oh good! But still! My lady you're as chill as can be!"
Ciel shook and sarcastically chattered; "You d-don't say…"
Turning back to bend down and pick up the serving tray Paula seemed to ignore his comment.
"Here! Drink this espresso it'll help you warm up"
Ciel eyed the beverage with suspicion as his mind began to scream at him, 'What are we going to do Ciel? How are we getting out of this?'
Bringing a shaking hand from out of the covers he slowly reached for and took hold of the small cup.
'Just take a moment… we'll get out of this… we'll think of something…'
Paula smiled and nodded in approval as Ciel took up the drink.
"We'll get this in you my lady then get you dressed! Breakfast is most appetizing today I must say."
'As compared to what?' Ciel sarcastically thought.
"The produce delivery arrived early this morning and Missis Atmore has made several wonderful fruit dishes, little Poppy has become quite the culinary student under her, yes she has!"
Paula held the now empty silver tray close to her chest and she smiled, "I can safely say it looks divine! And anything Missis Atmore makes that looks divine will definitely taste divine!"
She nodded, "Especially if our lady Elizabeth is coming down with a cold!"
Ciel sipped the strange drink gingerly and tried to calm himself down in any way as his thoughts scrambled, 'I've got to get out of here… I've got to set this right!'