"Good morning, Master." A tall black haired butler said to his master, who was sleeping peacefully in his bed. The butler walked over to the closed curtains and threw them open, allowing the bright morning light to spill into the room. The boy, who was only just fourteen years old, groaned and rolled over. He squeezing his eyes tightly shut in an attempt to block out the light, but only in vain. The butler smiled his knowing smile and gently rolled the boy over, earning the butler a fierce glare from the bi-colored eyed boy.
"What is it Sebastian? I asked to sleep in today." The boy grumbled, sitting up with a sigh. The butler smiled again, helping the boy get dressed and ready for the day as a butler should.
"I would have been more then happy to allow you to sleep in today, Master, but you have received a letter from the Queen earlier this morning. It seemed urgent enough to be personally sent from the Queen by her butlers." The butler said as he strapped on the boy's shoes with a soft click. The boy blinked the last of the sleep out of his eyes and shook himself to try and rid the dreams that still clouded his mind. At the mention of the Queen he drew straight and stood up, reaching over quickly for his eyepatch.
The eye patch that covered his binding mark to his own personal demon; his butler Sebastian Michaels. His butler stepped back and opened the door to let the boy out into the long hall. The boy, Ciel Phantomhive, was the young Earl to a large state given to him by his parents, who worked for the Queen of England, in the year 1880. He was known as Young Earl Phantomhive to most people; but a very select few called him the Queen's watchdog, charged with eliminating threats and stopping crimes against The Crown that the mere human police could not solve or handle. And he was always summoned by a letter with the royal seal; just as today.
The Earl walked into his office and sat at his desk, reaching out with one hand for his morning tea and with the other his letter opener. Sebastian informed him that his favorite Earl Grey tea made just to liking with his favorite morning delicacy. Ceil opened the letter just as Sebastian finished pouring the tea into the small purple china tea cup. The Earl read the letter with a critical eye, sipping his tea. It was certainly a call for him, and this was a case only suited for him. However, the note following his assignment disturbed him enough that he placed his cup down, frowning deeper than normal.
"It would seem we have a case, Sebastian. Children have been going missing and the Queen would like to know why. What makes her so concerned is that it in only noble children." He paused and sneered before throwing the letter down. "I do not need her concern. I am more than just a child." Ciel snapped, causing Sebastian to smile.
"My Lord! My Lord! There is a letter for you, there is!" A clumsy, round glasses maid barged into the room, waving a purple letter in her hand. She ran into the room and tripped on the carpet, yelling loudly as she fell harshly to the floor. Sebastian snatched the letter before she crumpled it up, letting her fall to the ground with a loud thud. The Phantomhive sighed, placing his hand to his head in exasperation. He sometimes wondered why he had such clumsy and ignorant servants. He looked up thinking though they had faults they were useful...
"Thank you, Mey Rin. You are dismissed." He sighed, holding his hand out for Sebastian to give him the letter. Sebastian stepped over the blushing maid, handing his master the letter. He then began gathering up the Earl's dishes and excess paperwork.
"Yes, sir. Thank you sir!" She stumbled out of the room, smashing her face in the side of the door before she sprinted out blushing. The Earl opened the deep purple envelope, pulling out a crisp, clean hand written letter. He read the letter as his butler cleaned up the Earl's breakfast and refilling the tea. As the Earl read he sipped his tea calmly until he read the end of the letter.
"Sebastian, it seems we will be having a guest stay for a few head of the Shadowwood family or something of that ilk." He paused, reading the letter once more. Sebastian raised his eyebrow.
"What is it my lord? You seem disturbed." Sebastian noted, pouring more tea for his master. Ciel sighed and placed the letter off to the side.
"It is only that I have no idea who the Shadowwood's are. Why have I never heard of them before? Why do they insist on contacting me now?" He asked his butler, organizing his other duties and letters from his Phantomhive Toy Company. Sebastian pulled up a stack of letters and papers and shuffled through them. Frowning, he went over to a few books on the shelves. He opened a book and flipped through the pages. A few minutes passed before he found what he was looking for, smiling up at his master.
"Apparently that is because they only just barely qualify as nobles, my lord. The Shadowwood family is by far one of the oldest families in England, dating back almost as far as the birth of the British Empire itself. They were the main trading company with the American Colonies and when the American Revolution broke out it would see that the family became shattered and broken. Their prosperity dropped rapidly due to poor decision making and many murders on both sides. Though in the past five years they have been making a comeback, most of their misfortunes turning for the better. Now they have branches all over the world, but they mostly deal with the East India Trading Company and The Western Front trading company. No doubt they want to strike a deal with the Phantomhive Toy Company. That is all that I know, my master." He closed the book and placed it back gently before walking over to the Earl and taking his empty tea cup. "About your schedule today, master. You have a meeting with Fredric Cumberbatch, head of Production in America, at eleven o'clock and tea with Lady Elizabeth at four. You will then have dinner with her and she will return home soon after." Ciel sighed and looked through the rest of the notes.
"Very well, you know what you have to do."The Earl said, quickly gathering up his papers a dreading the ordeal to come. This game might not be that fun after all, Ceil thought to himself. Sebastian smiled and bowed.
"Yes, my lord." He walked out of the room to carry out his duties as the Earl sat at his desk, sighing and trying to start working on the case while thinking of the new arrivals at his mansion.
(~^.^~)
"They are here! There're here! Master Ciel, they are coming!" A blond young man said as he ran up to the Earl in his office, straw hat fluttering behind him as he tracked in copious amounts of mud into the office and through the halls. Sebastian and the Earl looked up from their paperwork to look at the boy, who was breathing heavily from his haste. Sebastian's eye twitched with irritation as he looked at all the piles of mud on the floor before standing up straight and walking over to the young man. The boy looked up at him in confusion, shrinking away from the slight venomous aura surrounding the tall butler.
"How many times have I told you to take off your boots before you enter this house so you do not trek in the from outside?" He asked coldly, glaring down at the shivering young man. The boy looked behind him and paled.
"I'm so sorry, Sebastian! I just wanted to tell you-"
"We know they are here. Now clean this mess up." He said, throwing the boy out into the hall along with a mop and rags. The boy yelped and started cleaning, still forgetting to take off his boots that still dripped mud on the floor. Ciel walked out of his office and saw the disaster in the hallway and a tick mark formed on his forehead. Yet again he wondered why he ever kept such useless servants.
"Finny! I need this house spotless before they- Sebastian, please clean this up and remind the others about the rules with guests." Ciel said, walking the long way to get to the door. Sebastian bowed and then turned to the flustered blond boy. Sebastian's eyes flashed red and he started cleaning with inhuman speed. Mopping, washing, polishing until everything shown with glistening beauty and not a trace of mud in sight. Once finished, he picked up the blond by the back of his tunic, the boy struggling in vain to escape his wrathful grip.
"Now, I shall get Mei Rin and Bard. I have to hurry if I am to fulfill my duties as the Phantomhive butler and greet the guests." Sebastian said; mostly to himself. He then ran with inhuman speed down to the kitchen, dragging poor, frightened Finny behind him. After putting the fear of God, or accurately Satan, into the three idiots of the mansion he ran to his master's side just as the carriage pulled up to it's doors. Ciel put on his normal charming smile, only to have it fall once he realized the carriage was traveling much faster then he had previously thought. A boy about Finny's age was driving it, looking panicked and frightened. His short, dark brown locks waved widly around his face, his hazel-green eyes flashed with horror.
"Look out!" He shouted, pulling on the reigns and trying to stop the cart. Ciel's eyes widened as the cart traveled at breakneck speeds right in front of him, causing him to blink. When he opened his eyes again a second later the cart was stopped three feet from him, Sebastian standing before him and holding the cart in the air for a second before dropping it on the ground. The cart was in peices, and it was likely no had survive such a crash. Mey Rin, Bard, Snake, and Finny stood at the top of the stairs, shell shocked.
"Are you unhurt, my lord?" Sebastian asked, stepping away from the cart. Ciel nodded and frowned.
"Was anyone hurt?" He asked calmly, looking at the inside of the carriage, which by now was ruined and empty. Sebastian walked into the carriage, cutting the frightened horses loose for their restraints and moving a part of the floorboards to reveal the driver. The boy had a nasty blow to the skull and arms twisted in odd angles. Sebastian bent down to check for a pulse when the boy's eyes burst open, sitting straight up with a look of horror and fear.
"I'm sorry, M'Lady! I thought it might be better if I had gone a little faster seeing how we was late and-" The boy looked up at Sebastian, confused. "'Ello, who are you? Where is James and my Lady? Are they hurt-" The boy was rudely cut off by a tall, broad shouldered man picking him up by the collar of his shirt. Ceil blinked in surprise, not even seeing the man before. He must have been in the carriage and gotten out before it crashed, Ciel thought, observing the man. He wore a similar tailcoat to Sebastian but his undershirt was blood red along with his gloves. His messy red hair gave him almost a boyish quality, though his stature and presence could hardly cause someone to mistake him for a boy. His body was lean and agile, similarly to Sebastian but with more of a presence to it; an air of something that Ciel could not identify. His eyes were yellowish green, looking with amusement at the struggling boy in his arms.
"Well well well Phillip, it would seem that you are lucky to be alive. But I'm afraid you won't stay like that for long once I retrieve the Lady." The butler purred, smirking broadly as the boy paled. Sebastian frowned at the butler and straightened, only slightly taller then the other man. Their eyes met for a brief moment before a look passed between them; one something akin to an understanding.
"Please don't, James! She's already after my ass-"
"And I will continue to be angry if you say one more vulgar and crash word in front of me or out hosts." A feminine voice snapped, a girl appearing from the treeline. Ciel blinked in surprise when he saw her; a girl who looked around his age. Her jet black curly locks framing her face, her piercing purple eyes seeming to be able to look right through him, and her bright red lips against her pale skin making every color seem more pronounced and vibrant. Her dark purple dress flowing around her, her tight bodies exposing a fashionable amount of skin while still hinting at more beauty from within. She had a dark blue ribbon around her waist, her purple slippers gliding across the graveled driveway. She glared at the boy in the man's arms. "You are a servant of the Shadowwood family ,act like it or find another job." She snapped coldly. The boy whimpered and nodded, bowing his head. The girl nodded and snapped her fingers. "Clean this up, Philip. You have a week to fix the carriage." The boy nodded as he was dropped, scrambling to gather up the luggage and pile it in the door way. She girl finally turned to Ciel and stepped forward, sighing.
"My deepest apologies, Ciel Earl Phantomhive. Philip is often a little... wayward and it take a great amount of patients that I'm sure would be asking a great deal from you." She smiled, though the look did not reach her eyes. "I am Leila Shadowwood, head of the Shadowwood Trading Company. It is truly a pleasure and a great honor to meet you today, Earl" she said polity. The Red haired man walked up behind her, holding his hands behind his back and looking around with a bemused expression on his face. Sebastian stood beside his master, never taking his eyes off the other man. Ciel noted how on edge the other man was making Sebastian but he descided to ask him about it later. He put on his best fake smile and turned to the door.
"But the pleasure is all mine, Lady Leila. I hope we can get to know each other much better soon. How about over a nice cup of tea in my study?" He offered, glancing at the appalling wreckage in front of his home. Leila smiled and nodded.
"That would be lovely. Oh, before I forget this is James, my butler. Yes, I know there is usually a handmaiden but due o recent circumstances I have been left without one." She said, gesturing to the tall man behind her. James smiled and bowed.
"It's good to meet you, tiny Earl." He said, smirking as Ciel grow red with irritation. Leila silenced him wtih a glare, to which he only chuckled.
"My apologies for my servants. Apparently being so far away from home has dulled their wits. Not that they had any..." She grumbled, rubbing her temples and closing her eyes. Ciel nodded in agreement, mentally agreeing with her.
"Sebastain, make us some tea and show James to his quarters. That's an order." He turned and walked into the house, Leila following him. Sebastian bowed and turned to James with a sickly smile.
"This way if you please." He said, holding out his hand. James chuckled and pulled out a blood red pocket watch. All the other servants stared at the two men, watching as the air of tension grew between them.
"I'm sure I can find my way around, if you don't mind. Though you truly are a generous man..." James purred, grinning as he walked passed Sebastian. "Or should I say Crow?" He muttered, smirk growing bitter. Sebastian's smile turned sickly as well, following after James with a venomous look.
"Flattery will get you no closer to your goal, Fox..." Sebastian muttered, loud enough so only James and Philip could hear. James laughed and replied with something else, causing Sebastian to sneer as they both walked into the house. Mey Rin, Finny, Bard, And Philip all looked at each other.
"Do they know each other?" Finny asked, picking up a trunk and throwing it over his shoulder absentmindedly.
"I don't know." Mey Rin said, fixing her glasses and blinking a few times.
"Never seen Sebastain act that way around someone else before." Bard agreed.
"Did anyone hear what that James guy said to Sebastian, Keats asked. Yes, very good question, Keats." Snake whispered, startling almost everyone.
"Strange..." Philip said, hauling four bags over his shoulder and carrying a small bag of his own things. "Who is Sebastain?" He asked, looking at the four servants in confusion. Bard, Mey Rin, and Finny groaned.
"The guy who your James friend was talk'en to." Bard answered, getting Philip even more confused.
"Then who are you people?" He asked, receiving another round of groans as they explained to Philip who they were and where he was. "Why is the carriage so banged up? I was only driving it a little while ago..."
(~^.^~)
"I'm sorry to barge in on you like this on such short notice. I know you are a busy man, running a company on your own and holding such lavish parties and the like." Lady Leila said, sipping her tea and nibbling on a small pastry in Ciel's study. Ciel nodded behind his chair, sipping his own Earl Grey tea as he nibbled on a small piece of chocolate cake in his large chair behind his enormous desk. James and Sebastian were on opposite sides of the room, awaiting orders from their masters. James was smiling mockingly at Sebastian while Sebastian attempted to retain his look of bored indifference.
"I can assure you that it was nor problem. Now, I am told that you hold many trading outposts all in America, correct?" Ciel asked, watching the girl closely. The girl smiled and nodded.
"Oh, yes. We have trading outpost all over the world as well but it would seem that the Americans are in need of our service the most. They will pay a high price for quality goods from England, and it seems that your Phantomhive toys are becoming all the rage in America." She admired another pastry before nibbling on that one, seeming to have just as much of a sweet tooth as Ciel himself had. Ciel nodded.
"Naturally. We only serve the highest quality goods from the products with the name Phantom on them. I assume you are here to ask permission to include my product into your regular trade?" Lady Leila's eyes flashed with a strange look and nodded, smirking.
"Quite right you are, Earl Phantomhive."
"Please, call me Ciel. Formalities bore me to no end." Ciel interrupted, seeing how she was going to try and use the stall tactic in negotiations. Leila smiled and nodded.
"As they should. Now, I could go into the bored negotiation details but I have a feeling you would be a little more interested in... this." She pulled out a letter, the Queen's seal on the back. Ciel stopped drinking and looked at her, eyes narrowing. Sebastian stopped looking at James and stared at his master, waiting for his orders. James crossed his arms over his chest, smirk widening. "This is a letter from the Queen. I assume you receaved a similar letter just before my arrival?" Leila asked, raising a thin black eyebrow. Ciel frowned and nodded.
"Why would you have any knowledge of that?" Ciel asked coldly, putting his tea down. Leila smiled and leaned back in her chair.
"Because we both know that you are the Queen's Guard dog and there has been a interesting case that has been brought to her majesty attention. Apparently children have been going missing. Royal children. Age, sex, and rank are consequential for the kidnappers. The Queen wants them brought to justice and the children to be returned home safely. " She said simply, sliding the letter across the desk. Ciel slowly reached out for the letter, eye never leaving Lady Leila.
"And what does this have to do with you?" Ciel asked, voice dripping with malice. Leila seemed unaffected by it; if anything she seemed to be amused by the discomfort she was bringing the young Earl. She rested her head on her hand, smiling mockingly.
"Let's just say the Queen and I have a very... unique relationship. She is calling in a favor that I simply cannot refuse. Also, she is worried that her little guard dog will be the next one to be taken." Ciel gritted his teeth and leaned forward.
"What kind of unique relationship?" He inquired, glancing at Sebastian. Leila rolled her eyes.
"A dog is chained to his master, but a fox runs free. I am simply the necessary thorn in her side that she simply just can't get ride of." She replied, James walking over to stand behind Lady Leila as Sebastain stood behind his master. Ciel calmed down and glared at the girl in front of him. "Also, we are both on the same side, hunting the same prey..." She smiled. "Tell me, does the mark still give you nightmares at night? The shrouded and masked faces haunt your waking hours?" She asked, tilting her head to the side. Ciel froze, breath catching.
"H-How do you know about that?" Ciel asked, standing up quickly. Leila smiled a sweet, closed eyed smile.
"Play this little game with me, then I'll tell you. I've always been fond of game and now I have someone of equal ability to play the game." Ciel Glared.
"I have no time for silly game like this-"
"They you might not want to take this case." She said darkly. Ciel blinked as her whole demeanor changed. She sat up slowly, smile long gone. "Ciel Earl Phantomhive, I'm giving you this one warning; take this case and be my ally or stay out of my way. I have been playing this game for far longer then you have and I am not collared to any master..." She said quietly, raising her eyebrow. Ciel frowned, glaring back at the girl.
"Are you threatening me?" He asked coldly, reaching for his eye patch. "Do you know what happens to those who threaten the Queen's Guard Dog?" He asked as Sebastian slowly reached into his tailcoat. Leila sighed and leaned back.
"If you take the case it would only be idle chatter best left forgotten in the winds of time and change. However..." Her lips moved, curling into a slow, knowing She spome Ciel's eyes widened, growing visibly shaken. When she closed her mouth Ciel stared at her, then at the letter. "So, do we have a case?" Leila asked, crossing her legs and watching the Earl closely. Ciel stared at the letter, her words ringing in his ears. He picked up the letter, eyes growing narrow and cold once more.
"An offer I couldn't refuse. You will make a fine opponent indeed, Lady Leila of the Shadowwood Family; Daughter of Grim Shadowwood of the American Blue Blood mafia and assassin guild." Ciel said coldly, smiling slowly at the girl across from him. Leila smiled and stood up, extending her small hand out across the desk.
"Titles make the game so much more boring. Please, just call me Leila Shadowwood." She said. "Shall we play?" She asked, tilting her head. Ciel extended his hand and nodded, shaking it.
"We shall." Their hands parted. "And I don't intend to lose." Leila laughed; a crystal, sweet sounding laugh.
"My, this shall be an interesting game! Let's just hope you can keep up with a fox, little Guard Dog..." Lady Leila sang, turning and walking out with her butler following close behind. Ciel only smiled.
"And so the game begins..."
Author's note: Ok, I'm a little nervous for the first chapter because I'm not sure if Ciel is all that OOC but I don't know. I thought that it would be interesting to see what would happen if a female version of Ciel were to pop up and make his life both more interesting and a living hell. I will explain more about my OC in the next chapter but for now; if you like this that is, please be patient with me. I don't update weekly because I prefer to make things good instead of fast. Please PM me if you have any comments or questions. Thank you for at least giving the story a try.