Disclaimer: I do not own Black Butler/Kuroshitsuji or any of its characters. They belong to Yana Toboso.
The costume ball held by young Earl Alois Trancy would undoubtbly be remembered as the most unusual ball of the season. However, the Midford maid, Paula, thought that overall, it was an enjoyable affair. Well, aside from having turned up with Lady Elizabeth to find that, out of all the guests, only themselves, Mister Lau, his silent accomplice, the Phantomhive servants, the Prince of Bengal and his attendant had followed the dress-up theme with more than just a token hat... and aside from the beautiful Trancy maid wheeling a strange, spectacular instrument into the ballroom, only to start playing the most headache-inducing music Paula had heard in her life... and aside from being hypnotised, from having to be knocked out by Prince Soma of all people, from waking up confused and underneath Ran-Mao's skirt…
Paula smiled and jingled her bells. All those occurrences aside, it was a wonderful ball.
Now that Earl Trancy had arrived and everything seemed to be back to normal, nothing could dampen the maid's optimism. When the orchestra began to play a dance piece, Lady Elizabeth dashed off in search of her fiancé. Paula watched her fondly as she stampeded through the centre of the hall with the force and determination of a small, blonde-haired rhinoceros. Earl Phantomhive was not inclined to dancing, but if anyone could possibly persuade him, it was his Lizzie.
Only he had called her Elizabeth again earlier that day. Paula lowered her head in pity.
"That poor boy," she whispered, to no one in particular.
"Hey, you! Aren't you going to dance?"
Paula looked up to be met by the face of Prince Soma. Flustered, she jumped back; the teenaged prince's sense of personal space didn't seem to have quite the same limits of the average person. Nor did he have any qualms about talking to a servant as if they were in the same social class. The prince's hands were on his hips and his eyebrows were raised. That was when Paula realised that his abrupt tone wasn't meant to be accusatory; he was simply curious.
Before she could answer, the prince's attendant approached them. In the presence of this very tall, deep-voiced man, Paula had to resist the urge to shrink away further. Her nerves faded when he smiled a smile that could intimidate no one.
"My prince, not everyone might feel like dancing," he said. He sounded like he was choosing his words carefully. "We ourselves are also not doing so."
His master blew out through his lips.
"They don't have music or dancing like this in India," the prince said. "What if it's like fencing and has specific, odd rules?"
The Indian butler's eyes fell on the dancers.
"If we watch carefully, we might be able to pick up on the steps and timing." Agni chuckled. "And look, not everyone is worried about their dancing matching the overall decorum."
Their attention turned to the trio of Phantomhive servants. The bright-eyed, blond gardener laughed loudly as he held his friends' hands and spun them around. No doubt everyone believed this would create a similar whirlpool of destruction to their usual antics, judging by the distance between them and the nearest couples. Paula giggled softly. They did look like they were having the loveliest time.
The maid glanced back at her company. She did wonder why they hadn't left her, but she was glad for their company. When she had turned up in her outfit, and realised that nearly everyone else had dressed in far less revealing costumes, Paula hadn't expected much company. Even an hour later, most of the ladies and gentlemen walked past her as quickly as they could. The thought of everyone being embarrassed of her made Paula want to envelope herself once again in her plain brown coat, whilst blurting out apologies to everyone at once. This pair didn't seem to mind, though. They hadn't remarked much about her outfit, apart from the prince cheering on seeing another person in dress-up. Perhaps they were just being polite.
Prince Soma then turned his attention back to her and asked the question she sensed he would ask, but rather wished he wouldn't.
"Why are you not dancing, though? Do you not like it?"
"Me, Your Highness?" Paula squeaked. "Well, um…"
Did she like dancing? Yes, she thought it was very beautiful and romantic… to watch. She considered his question. A servant was there to serve at balls. She was lucky to be at the Trancy manor, as her mistress was kind enough to encourage her to not only attend, but dress up and join in as a guest, as per Earl Trancy's generous invitation. A lowly maid seldom received invitations to dance. If she were a noblewoman, though… yes, she had to admit to herself that she would love to be asked. Only that was but a slip of a dream, for she had been never been asked, and likely never would be. Still, in the grand scale of things, there were far more important things people had to do without.
The now-concerned faces of her company made her worry that they had sensed her hesitation. The eyes of the prince's butler met hers, as if trying to read them.
"Might you be still not well after the shock of that music earlier? Perhaps you would like to rest somewhere -"
"Oh!" Prince Soma suddenly grabbed her upper arms. "Did I knock you out too hard earlier? I'm so sorry if I did! You just looked like you were in a trance and about to attack us, and I tried to stop you – please forgive me!"
His servant carefully pulled the prince's hands away. The maid laughed nervously.
"That's alright, I'm fine now! Absolutely spritely!"
When she saw that the pair didn't look convinced, her words started to run away with her, as they had a tendency to do when she was unsure.
"Well, being knocked out hurt a bit, but it's alright, it's over now! Besides, who hasn't received a good old strike to the neck before?"
They now looked alarmed. Part of Paula's mind urged her to stop talking, but her mouth was not complying.
"And anyway, when knocked down, one must get up again! And nothing is a better remedy to a headache than nice music!"
It was too late; she was bringing out the bells.
"I always bring a pair of bells along with me to cheer myself up."
Now they were in her hands, they were too irresistible to not shake.
"Jingle, jingle, jingle!"
Her company stared at her in silence. Paula internally winced, as she realised that her awkwardness had stunned the pair that were perhaps the least conventional people in the room. Even this duo, who earlier alarmed everyone by breaking down in tears simultaneously, thought she was strange.
"Agni, look over there," Prince Soma tapped his attendant, as his eye caught something else. "Look. Lizzie is dancing with the boy who owns this place."
"Oh?" This news distracted Paula from her embarrassment. "She told me she was looking for Earl Phantomhive."
Paula looked in the direction that the prince pointed. Sure enough, there was her mistress, being held in a dance by the young man – no, he was really no more than a boy – who had introduced himself as Earl Alois Trancy. The boy was smirking and prancing jauntily, but Lady Elizabeth looked like she wished to be anywhere else but there. The pair had caught the attention of several bystanders, who were smiling mischievously and glancing between the couple and then – across the room – to Earl Phantomhive, who was also dancing with an older lady… and positively fuming.
"Oh dear, she doesn't look very happy," Paula whispered.
"How come Lizzie is dancing with him and not Ciel?" the prince asked.
"From what I gather, my prince: a man may ask a woman to dance, and she can accept - or refuse, presumably, though none appear to have refused yet. Lord Trancy must have invited her to dance, and Lady Elizabeth must have accepted."
Prince Soma looked thoughtful for a moment. He cocked his head to one side, like a puppy considering the house rules his trainer had set down.
"Do you think she'd dance with me, too?"
Paula noticed, by his frown, that Agni had caught on to the tension between the three youngest ball attendees. When he turned back to his master, he looked like he was about to explain why it wouldn't be a good idea. His mouth parted, but not an utterance escaped as the prince looked up at him with shining eyes.
"I've never danced at an English ball with an English woman," the prince said eagerly. He twitched the brim of his Sherlock Holmes deerstalker cap. "I've been in her company for most of the day, so that means we're friends. Right?"
"Right," Agni agreed. This logic was a surprise to Paula, but already Prince Soma was smiling, pleased.
"So, as a friend, I can ask her to dance! Lizzie's nice. I'd like to dance with her." When Agni just smiled and inclined his head towards the centre of the room, the prince suddenly looked far less certain. "Just maybe not right now," he added quickly.
Paula laughed. She could imagine that Prince Soma rubbed some people the wrong way, but she thought he was quite sweet. If she were Lady Elizabeth, she would certainly have accepted the invitation. She gave her bells a few small shakes to remind herself that she was in fact Lady Elizabeth's maid, and the idea of being asked had to remain a daydream.
Shortly, the orchestra paused to turn their sheet music over to the next piece. In that moment, Lady Elizabeth pulled away from Earl Trancy's arms, gave a quick curtsey, appeared to mumble something that Paula guessed was an apology, and walked as briskly as she could towards them. Her face was scarlet with mortification.
"Paula, where's Ciel? I saw him when I was dancing, and he looked so angry with me! You don't think he thought that I wanted to dance with Lord Trancy more than him, do you?" Her eyes beaded with tears at the corners. "Because that's not what I wanted, not at all! I wanted to dance with Ciel! He's the only boy I love. I thought…"
She turned her now red, puffy face towards the men.
"I thought I could try to make him remember me properly - like your idea, Prince, with the curry bread. I want him to remember how he danced with me back at the manor, even though I had acted so childishly, and how he smiled and looked cute and it was the best night I've had for the last three years…" Her thoughts seemed to string together with speed. "And I thought it might make him remember if only he danced with me again. But instead, now all he'll ever be able to remember is how I let another gentleman take me away from him!"
"Oh, my lady! Please don't cry!"
Paula anxiously patted her sides for a spare handkerchief. She found one, crumpled from where it had been crushed by one of her bells. She handed it to her mistress, who blew into it loudly. The bells made the lightest jangling noise. Instantly, Paula's spirits lightened. She loved that bell sound.
"How about some nice music to cheer us up?" she enthused. "Jingle -"
"Paula, stop shaking those awful bells! I hate them!" Lady Elizabeth ordered desperately.
The maid winced, but her mistress looked so unhappy that she quietly slipped the bells back into her pockets, her mood crushed. Whilst she puzzled sadly over how to help in a way that didn't make things worse, she felt a warm hand on her shoulder. She looked up to see Agni's eyes on her, narrowed in concern. Paula quickly pulled her usual beam back into place.
"Lizzie, I'm sure Ciel's not that mad," Prince Soma tried to reassure her. He reached out to give her a hug, only for Lady Elizabeth to struggle away from him angrily.
"Prince, it is terrible enough that I've been disloyal to Ciel by dancing with Earl Trancy before him, but for Ciel to see me in the arms of yet another man would make me an awful fiancée in his eyes!"
She shook her head vigorously. Stray blonde hairs got stuck to her damp cheeks.
"Where is Lord Ciel?" Paula asked quietly.
She followed Lady Elizabeth's gaze over towards the other side of the room. Earl Phantomhive was looking at back at his cousin with an expression of steel, before he walked over to the corner of the hall, possibly to find his butler.
Lady Elizabeth paled as he walked out of sight. Prince Soma looked at her nervously and extended his hand towards her arm, perhaps in an attempt to comfort her. The young lady withdrew her wrist from the contact.
"Don't. Just – leave me alone!" She thrust her head into her hands. "I can't bear this!"
Prince Soma shrank back, dejected. Paula was starting to admit to herself that no amount of optimism would now make her look back and think of this ball fondly, when Agni suddenly smiled. She looked at him in puzzlement. The maid thought that he looked very nice indeed when he smiled like that, but it was an odd circumstance to smile under. Agni's hand reached round to gently pat his master's back.
"Lady Elizabeth," Agni began. "If I may say so, I wouldn't worry that you are shaming or betraying Lord Phantomhive."
The girl looked up at him, her eyes wide.
"But… I danced with Lord Trancy. And Ciel looked furious – I – I don't know what else he could possibly make of it."
Agni shook his head and placed his fingertips together.
"Lord Phantomhive must be feeling very disorientated from his memory loss. Every emotion he has will be concentrated on the present for the time being. He will remember you, and all of us again, I'm sure – but it will take time. And if he doesn't, then we will all just have to rebuild our relationships with him. However it happens, I promise you, my lady: he will see again how much you love him and he loves you."
Paula listened to him, entranced. This man had such faith, such optimism, that what he was saying couldn't be based on fact… but she felt herself relax, as if her gut instinct was telling her mind to believe him. She glanced at the others. Both Prince Soma and Lady Elizabeth were gazing up at the butler.
"In the meantime, we will have to remind him of why he liked us," Agni continued, his eyes gleaming with encouragement.
"That's right!" Prince Soma exclaimed happily. "We became best friends when we stayed with him and he showed me the error in my ways."
Agni nodded and gave him a fond look. The prince jumped with elation, as if an idea of pure ingenuity has struck him.
"I know, Agni! Maybe we should move in with him again? That would bring back his memory, for sure. Or if it doesn't, we can recreate our meeting!"
Agni laughed.
"Maybe we should try to set off on the right foot this time, my prince. Our first meeting once again, only without us waking him up and scaring him, interrupting his schedule, unfortunate fencing practices – or indeed, moving in against his will."
The casual way in which he noted these events that he and Prince Soma had apparently done now left Paula blinking in mild shock. The prince clapped his hands gleefully.
"We shall investigate further into what jogs his memory. We will be like the real Sherlock Holmes and Watson, and solve the entire case of Ciel's memory loss, and then everything will be alright again! 'The game is afoot', as they say!"
Prince Soma spun round to the nearby table and grabbed the abandoned platter of curry bread. He tossed a bun to each of his company, before taking one himself and brandishing it like a sword.
"To the case of Ciel!" he declared, before taking a triumphant bite. Paula laughed as Agni, herself, and then even Lady Elizabeth followed suit.
"Now, my lady," Agni continued, "it is clear you didn't mean to express any – ah, forgive me if I'm speaking out of turn – feelings towards Lord Trancy that you harbour for Lord Phantomhive."
"Yes," she replied, with more confidence than she held a moment ago.
"That's right," Agni stated warmly. "You accepted him out of politeness, and danced with him as you would a friend."
"Yes!" Lady Elizabeth agreed again. She finally gave a smile that made her look like her usual self – or maybe even happier. "Thank you," she added, as she mopped her face with the handkerchief. "I'm sorry, how silly I must look. I'm afraid I cry far too easily."
"You're alright, considering it is us you're talking to," Prince Soma grinned.
Lady Elizabeth's smile broadened.
Paula clasped her hands together, delighted. She was charmed by these two, who had cheered up her young mistress in a way she couldn't have done. Then, looking between her lady and the prince, she thought of an idea, and idea that she thought was so adorable that she didn't care how foxy it was.
"Then perhaps, my lady, to make your turn with Lord Trancy stand out less, would you like to dance some more? I'm sure there are others who would like to ask you aside from Lord Trancy."
Lady Elizabeth's head perked up from a mixture of curiosity and excitement.
"That's a good idea, Paula. Only, I haven't danced with any gentleman at a ball other than Ciel – and now Lord Trancy, too. Hmm…"
Prince Soma opened his mouth to speak, but before he could, Lady Elizabeth held out the folds of her garment and curtseyed to him.
"Highness, will you offer me this dance?"
Once again, that shining gleam of enthusiasm came to the prince's eyes. He grinned and took her outstretched hand. With a joyful laugh, he ran with her towards the centre of the ballroom.
"Careful not to trip!" Paula called after them.
Their speed and energy made her envision the pair being nearly the same level of force of mass destruction as the Phantomhive servants – who were still whizzing around the hall like a tornado – but then she noticed how genuinely happy her mistress looked. Alongside the prince, Lady Elizabeth skipped and giggled whilst she kept apace with him. Before she was fully aware of it, Paula's eyes had glossed over with nostalgia, of those happy days before the attack on the Phantomhives, when Lady Elizabeth – little Lizzie – had precious care in the world besides planning the next game she would play with her cousin, or whether the red or the blue dress would be cuter.
A time before having to try desperately hard to pretend that these things were still important and meaningful, even though those with cruel intentions no longer hid in the shadows. The day always led to a night where little could be seen through the darkness. It was weakening, Paula understood only too well, to have to be the ray of sunshine all the time.
Yet, to see her mistress earnestly happy and carefree, just for the moment that she allowed Prince Soma to indulge that silly side of her, opened Paula's eyes to possibilities that she hadn't let herself perceive.
"Ah, sorry!"
Paula tore her eyes away from the pair when she heard Agni give a small, apologetic laugh. The Indian man's face shone with pleasure, as he kept glancing back at their master and mistress. He smiled softly when he addressed Paula.
"They just looked so happy, I couldn't help but watch," he admitted. "It just lights my heart to see my prince enjoying himself that much."
The maid nodded in agreement. This man, the devoted servant of the prince, probably understood how she felt more than anyone at this moment in time. To watch a dearly beloved person capture a moment of joy… nothing felt better, to those who dedicated their life to supporting, such as herself and Agni.
They watched Lady Elizabeth quickly move Prince Soma's hands into place, so that one was on her waist and the other was grasped in the hand of hers that was not now around the top of his back. When the music began, she had to pull him in the right direction, whilst neatly dodging his feet when they came close to treading on hers. The prince stumbled around awkwardly and within the first thirty seconds had caused them to collide with two different couples, but Lady Elizabeth just laughed and twirled under his arm in an impromptu, easy move. Prince Soma too chuckled like he couldn't stop, his face lit up in sheer delight.
"Miss Paula."
She jumped when Agni said her name, even though he had uttered it quietly. The butler bowed, and when he raised himself again, Paula was met by an unexpectedly sweet, shy expression. A tanned hand extended towards her and hesitated in mid-air.
"Would you permit me the honour of your hand in this dance?"
All of a sudden, the air around Paula seemed to become very thin. Warmth rose from her chest, up until it reached her face. Her fantasies had surely slipped from her mind and spilled into real life, where they didn't belong. She reached out to accept his hand wordlessly. Agni smiled and led her towards the middle of the hall, where the dancers she usually admired from afar weaved effortlessly in synch.
"Mr Agni," Paula whispered nervously, as she remembered one rather problematic detail. "I'm afraid I do not know the steps to this dance – in fact, I must confess that I have never been asked to dance in public. And you – you indicated that you didn't know either…"
Her mind blanked when Agni's arm reached round to hold the middle of her back, and his opposite hand supported her fingers on top of his palm.
"I've been watching everyone for a little while now, and the music has been chosen carefully to make it easy for us to stay in time." Agni looked around. "And if we have difficulties, then we can be reassured that we are carrying out our duty of being loyal to our master and mistress by setting a better example of poor dancing."
To Paula's amazement, however, the prince's butler began to lead her around the other couples seamlessly. Agni's steps, hold and movement were slightly different to the set dance, but his timing was perfect and - most surprisingly, considering his height and build - he was extremely graceful. That fact that Paula wasn't mattered not to him. He turned when needed to without even needing to look, as if he could sense where everyone on the floor was placed, and he subtly changed direction or slipped in a lift whenever Paula came close to tripping or couldn't keep up. His style – much like himself, she had come to realise – was a strange combination of serious and cheerful, but it was one which Paula found enchanting.
She was nearly too carried away in this living fantasy when he asked her a question.
"You like to shake those bells to cheer up yourself and others, don't you?"
"Oh, um." Her eyes were trained on his face. He was smiling again. "Yes, I do. Though… regrettably, they do not always work, at least not on my lady."
His fingers brushed the top of her hand.
"Well, if you have found something that can always lift your spirits, that is very commendable. I dare say when I was growing up I didn't have the skill of holding onto what made me happy."
Paula raised her eyebrows, surprised. A shimmer of sadness had come to his eyes. Her fingertips prickled for her bells, but instead, she urged herself to respond appropriately, for his sake. She gave him an admiring smile.
"Then you have come far. I wouldn't reprimand yourself, though, Mr Agni. The jingle of bells remind me of one perfect Christmas I had as a child. If I didn't have that, and the bells, would I still be able to be cheerful?"
He held up the hand supporting hers, for her to twirl underneath.
"Hindus do not celebrate Christmas, so you could say I didn't have that, no."
"Oh, sorry! I didn't mean -"
He closed his eyes and laughed, a low-pitched laugh that, although quiet, rang in her ears, as melodic as her bells.
"Prince Soma once told me that time has a hierarchy. He said that the past doesn't have to be important, but the present is highly important, and most important of all is the future that will become the present. Well, not in those exact words, of course, but that message essentially. So don't worry, Miss Paula, as I can tell you worry a lot about people. We can move on from the past, and think of the bright future, and… the present… the present is…"
He hesitated for words. Paula imagined he was contemplating what she was thinking; whether it was acceptable to consider the present to be such a happy time, when poor Earl Phantomhive still had his memories to recover and dangerous tasks ahead of him. Yet they would help him. Everything would be alright, they would make sure of it. A small smile came to her lips.
"With the bright future ahead, the present is perfect."
When Agni slid his hands under her arms and raised her above his head, Paula felt like he had given her means of flight. She caught sight of Lady Elizabeth and Prince Soma across the hall. The younger pair were watching them; the prince with a smirk, her lady with starry-eyed affection. Whilst Agni spun her around and lowered her to the ground again, she could hear the pair attempt to navigate towards them.
Paula tilted her head towards their approaching company. Agni nodded and glided into an area where there was the most space. They laughed as Prince Soma, now right next to them, attempted one of the lifts he had seen Agni perform, only to come close to falling over and bringing Lady Elizabeth down on top of him. Paula couldn't stop smiling as she kept twisting, spinning and flying. The possibilities that she now freed herself to imagine began to take shape in her mind. Lady Elizabeth didn't have to pretend to be happy. Paula herself didn't have to ring bells to lighten the atmosphere. Dances…
Even maids could dance the night away.
Author's Note: Hello, everyone! Many thanks for reading this story :) I feel like a bit of a traitor for writing something in conflict with my favourite Kuro pairing, but my friend Robin Mask's suggestion of Agni x Paula being a potential ship got this idea stuck in my mind and made me struggle to concentrate on my other stories until I had got this one down. This quartet would be so happy together :')
Right, sorry, back to the stories with the more familiar ships!