Chapter Three: Amaranth
O
O
O
Disclaimer: Kuroshitsuji does not belong to me. Evidence: It does not have YAOI!
O
O
O
The incubus prince had never felt so mortified in his entire life (which was pretty long, by human standards). Having succumbed quickly to his first taste of the devil's magic, Ciel had been easily subdued thereafter due to his trance-like state after the making of his contract with the archduke. It was akin to getting drunk, to put things simply. By the time Ciel had recovered his senses, he had found himself trapped in the arms of Sebastian on his dark stallion which dashed across the lands, sand dust trailing in their wake. There was nary a conflict between the two during the journey. But of course, it wasn't that Ciel didn't put up a fight. It was because he couldn't. True to his word, Sebastian had a ball gag tied around Ciel's small mouth to keep him quiet, at least for that short while. He also thrashed a bit, but with little effect. His arms and legs had been locked together by fire cuffs – no doubt another favourite trick of the archduke.
Chuckling, Sebastian bent over and whispered daringly into the shell of his pet's ear. "As I thought, that ball gag is perfect for you. How about we use it again later?" The incubus prince turned around so quickly that he could have broke his neck; his large sapphire eyes flashing with undisguised fury and annoyance. To show his appreciation for that particular comment, Ciel whipped his tail quickly across the flesh of Sebastian's neck, drawing a trickle of blood.
A pause, before the archduke responded to the assault. Nonchalantly, he drawled out, "Maybe I should cuff your tail too." Drawing a lazy circle in the air, several fire rings manifested and quickly encircled themselves around Ciel's tail. Rather than scalding, the rings were heavy, preventing Ciel from whisking his tail as he wished. Yet another flashing glare was sent in the devil's direction before the sapphire gaze shifted away, looking at the capital that was already miles away.
He didn't have the time to bid his parents goodbye and somewhat regretted it. Despite them being demons, the bond between parents and child is strong. With so many enemies around, it would be foolish to betray even your family. Or at least, that was what Ciel believed. There was no end to the demon species' maliciousness as there always seemed to be some sort of nasty plot brewing in their midst. The last one had nearly overpowered the royal devil family and killed off a quarter of the demons. Although they were nearly immortal, it didn't mean that they were invincible.
Then, Ciel quickly directed his gaze back to the front, not wanting Sebastian to detect his obvious attachment to his family. Besides, he would be homesick later, for he had far more pressing matters to attend to. For example, the first thing on his mind was to get the infuriating demon to release him from his binds.
After what seemed like hours (but it was actually a few minutes), Sebastian's stallion trampled across a long bridge that attached the mainland to a floating island. The sea was a nonexistent feature in hell. Instead of water, what they could only see was an endless abyss. It was said that traitors of the royal family would be locked in cages and thrown into it (after months of torture, of course). Ciel eyed the darkness curiously. Maybe he could push Sebastian into it if he could somehow disable the man's flight spells...
Well, it was just an innocent thought.
Then, Ciel looked up to see his new...home. He furrowed his brows, squeamish at that thought. Unlike most demons, it seemed Sebastian had chosen a fortress for a home. Made with black stones and even blacker steel, it seemed almost impenetrable. It didn't seem at all welcoming. From faraway, he could spot a jumpy figure that seemed to be eagerly waiting for their arrival. One of the archduke's servants perhaps?
"Welcome home milord!" a blond boy exclaimed excitedly before his eyes zeroed in on the prince. "And ohhhhh! You've brought someone? I'll go get the others!" And in a flash, he was gone as he phased through the walls. Ciel blinked. Ah- that was a poltergeist, just like Grell. However, this one seemed ridiculously skilled with magic despite his fluffy attitude.
Sebastian wordlessly dismounted from his horse and used magic to lift Ciel off his horse. That had caused Ciel's bad mood to up a few notches, if it were possible. He did not appreciate being magicked about like a rag doll. A scuffle from within the fortress was heard before more figures phased through the gates.
Two more poltergeists along with the first one, barrelled straight out of the stronghold. One was taller with blonde hair while the other was female with big round glasses. All three greeted their lord in unison.
"Welcome home master!" They exclaimed rather cheerfully. Ciel was beginning to wonder if this was a madhouse of cheerful poltergeists. He might soon join them (mentally-wise) due to his predicament.
Sebastian stared at them for one second sighed and muttered something like "I need new staff fast..." under his breath and then looked at his servants with a cool smile.
"Finny, Bard, Maylene...this is Ciel Phantomhive. He's the second son of Vincent and Rachel Phantomhive, the royal family of the incubi. You three shall be his personal servants from now on. Prepare him for dinner...we'll be using the small room." He looked at the prince with a playful glint in his eyes while Ciel looked at him as though as he was crazy. "You're sticking me with these lunatics?" – was all his expression said. Then, Sebastian continued. "Take good care of him and I'll issue new orders shortly."
The three poltergeists saluted their master as the archduke entered his home, already disposing himself of his black jacket along the way. As he left them, the cuffs around Ciel's limbs disappeared as the boy began to frantically tear at the belt holding the ball gag. He gasped, glad to be finally free to talk and move.
"Don't mind Lord Sebastian for his actions." Maylene had cheerfully said as she placed started to remove the incubus' boots. "He just doesn't like trouble, noise and what-not. Now...how do you untangle this?" muttered the female as she tried to distinguish one line of thread from the other. Ciel huffed and replied; mildly annoyed at the woman's slow pace of work.
"If he weren't so irritating, maybe I wouldn't be so troublesome."
As Bard and Finny led the stallion to its stables located at the side of the fort's entrance, Ciel heard the two servants laugh.
"This is the first time anyone has said that about Lord Sebastian. Almost everyone else thinks he is devastatingly charming... That show off." Bard had muttered as he walked further down the path.
"Bye bye Ciel! We'll see you later!" Finny had waved as the incubus prince snorted, barely sparing his new servant a glance and reply. He had only been here one minute and things were already starting to seem bizarre. For one, demons usually prefer castles or mansions for their homes...not a fortress. Secondly, the servants were way too familiar with their masters and even dared to complain openly. However, they seemed to possess a certain level of mastery in their own brand of poltergeist magic. Maybe that was the reason why Sebastian kept them around? They seemed rather inept at their own chores though.
Maylene brought the young prince through the fortress and into the south wing, showing him several rooms on the way. Ciel took this opportunity to study the deco of his new home. Unlike the outdoors, the insides of the fort were tastefully furnished. It wasn't anything special but the place seemed far more homely than he had expected. He could easily see why Sebastian preferred staying inside rather than prowling about the realm of Hell.
One other thing that he had noticed was the interesting objects placed around the mansion. Like his father had said, Sebastian was a collector. Some paintings seemed to have life infused into them as he stared at one with a tree that was seemingly swaying in the wind. Another had dancing candle fires that seemed to light up the dark hallways. Potted plants with a variety of colours curled and entwined themselves around nearby furniture. Some of them had even glowed neon green, although the glow was rather faint. There were also beautifully crafted statue made out of white marble, wood and several other materials. Although there didn't seem to have anything special about these statues, Ciel could sense pulses of magic emanating around them- a mix of Sebastian's magic and something else.
"Here we are!" Maylene announced blithely as she pushed the door of a room open. Ciel was more than shocked at the sight that greeted him. This new room of his seemed like an exact copy of his old one, with the exception that it was bigger and better. It was a mix of cobalt, silver and black, his favourite mix of colours. Ciel pointedly ignored the king-sized bed and trailed his hand over the smooth surface of the table and chairs. The furniture had unusual designs and had curves in places that the prince didn't think it was possible. He also spotted a bookshelf that was filled with books, both magical and non-magical. One of Ciel's hobbies was, curiously, to read. Books weren't common objects in the world of Hell as only the nobility educated themselves. Hence, these must be quite valuable. Fur carpets lined the floors, skinned from a few creatures that Ciel recognised. Night panthers, silver-furred bears and white elks- just to name a few. And to add icing to the cake, he was granted a spectacular view of the faraway capital he was at just earlier that day.
Silently, he approved of the room he was given. But... how?
"Lord Sebastian took the liberty of sending a fast crow to your parents." Maylene stated simply, knowing it was enough explanation. "Would you like my help in your bath?" the poltergeist then asked. Ciel instantly rejected the offer. "No. I'll do everything myself. You may be dismissed." Ciel wasn't that spoilt, despite the way he acts. He knew how to do certain things himself. To add on to that, it wasn't as if he was going to let the thrio of idiots near him.
Bowing, Maylene closed the door behind her and finally allowed herself to release a sharp squeal. A pretty incubus prince! Oh the fantasies...the fantasies~
O
O
O
Sebastian sat at his office desk, shuffling between a few parchments and letters. He didn't like office work in the least, but knew it was necessary to keep some things in order. There were several invitations to parties, events and an occasional execution. He didn't even understand why people kept sending him these when he hadn't attended one of these in years- unless it was the king's. Now, all these excess letters cluttered his table so much that he had to summon an inferno just to get rid of them as quickly as possible.
The archduke was known for his unyielding loyalty to the king. No one knew why except Sebastian and the king himself. They were direct cousins with Sebastian being the only son of the brother of the previous king. Even though the king was rather whimsical with his demands, Sebastian would always follow his orders to a T. One letter from said king laid to the side of the table- the most recent letter. It had contained pleasantries, well wishes and the details of Ciel's ceremony. Sebastian paused in his actions to look at the envelope that held the letter before swiftly snapping his fingers. The paper burst into flames as it gave way to the intense heat. Sebastian went back to his usual business, shifting the papers on his desk with boredom. It wouldn't do if the incubus now residing in his home was to find out about the contents of that letter.
O
O
O
Night came too quickly for the incubus as he stared warily at the door that led to the dining room. Finny had knocked on his door earlier that evening to inform Ciel where he should be by nightfall. Ciel didn't know how he should feel about this, aside from being hateful towards his new sponsor. While he was in his room, several thoughts had crossed his mind.
He didn't want to think about what it meant when the archduke had taken the effort to find out what his tastes in decor were. He also didn't want to think about his inevitable encounter with Sebastian in bed. If that one kiss had already affected him that much, Ciel didn't want to know what that was going to do to him. The incubus within him was already thrumming with excitement while the more reasonable part of him wanted to just forget the whole thing and rewrite the events of the ceremony.
Unfortunately, he wasn't so skilled in time magic.
Not to mention, he was under the complete mercy of his sponsor. Who knew what ridiculous deeds he was going to be made to do? And no, he wasn't just talking about the sexual kind.
Sighing, he pushed the door open with a feather-like touch, allowing his immature wind magic to do the rest of the work. And there Sebastian was, waiting for his companion for dinner.
The room was dark, alit by candlelight. The table was round and covered by a pristine white cloth. Odd red flowers- amaranths- were used to decorate their table. Food was already laid out on the table on porcelain plates as a delicious aroma wafted through the air. The chairs were high and cushioned; comfortable enough that one wouldn't mind sitting on it for hours. It was too dark to study the other decor of the room but Ciel didn't even feel the desire to.
His attention was solely captured by the noble demon that sat calmly on his end of the table, already sipping what it seemed to be a glass of sangria wine. He opened his eyes when he heard the creak of the door, calm garnet eyes meeting dark stormy cobalt. He set his glass down, the liquid sloshing around in the glass as the foot of it was settled upon the tabletop.
"Ciel." Sebastian breathed the boy's name, his sly grin accompanied by a mischievous twinkle in his gaze. "Nice of you to join me."
And then, the prince instantly knew that he shouldn't have opened the doors at all.
O
O
O
A/N: Sorry for the semi-filler XD but it is necessary. The title of this chapter is amaranth, it comes from the Greek a (not) + marainean (to waste away), i.e., a flower that never died that was believed to grow on Mount Olympus. I put more emphasis on the never-die aspect. The meaning is actually hidden in this chapter. A prelude to a bond that never dies, etc. And also talking on the subject of 'gods'..although demons aren't necessarily gods XDDD. Another hidden meaning somewhere :p. Hope you enjoy this chapter and please R&R!
Oh and one more thing. SO MANY REVIEWS OMG! I only wanted 100 plus and it went into the 110+ THANKS SO MUCH YOU GUYS! (on another note, why is this story receiving more reviews per chap than sickly sweet? XDD)
Oh and I also made a new poll in my profile. Please go and check it out!
