Wow, my head hurts now! I can't believe how many times I had to repeat the word "ice sculpture" in this chapter! Anyway, here is Chapter 7 where Victoria is dragged to the Frost Fayre and gets herself caught up in the case of The Shard of Hope. Enjoy!
Chapter 7: The Shard of Hope
"Vikki, hurry up!" Elizabeth cried as she dragged me by the wrist through the Frost Fayre.
Why, oh why did I agree to this? I can't even keep up with this girl! I bet you're wondering why the hell I'm even here anyway and what the heck is going on. Well, every year when the River Thames freezes over a special event known as the Frost Fayre is held here. This is where certain items are sold and certain events are held on the ice of the River Thames. Sadly, Elizabeth has dragged me down here to help her look for a birthday present for Ciel (You've probably guessed that his birthday is coming up soon!). I've already got him a present; however Elizabeth hasn't. I didn't want to come but she still dragged me here anyway (She literally dragged me here!). I have been trying to escape from her tight grip for hours; however I haven't been very successful…
"My Lady, please slow down! Ren and I can't keep up!" Elizabeth's maid, Paula, cried.
Elizabeth finally stopped so that Ren and Paula could catch up (She also made poor Ren come to keep an eye on me…). Elizabeth turned around to face Paula while finally letting go of my wrist. Oh man my wrist is sore now!
"Paula, if you stomp like that then the ice could break" She replied slyly.
Paula froze and began to scan for any cracks in the ice. Poor Paula was so gullible that Elizabeth managed to trick her all the time. I watched Elizabeth snigger.
"There really was no need for that Lizzie…" I mumbled.
"Please, my lady, if anyone finds out we've taken a detour I'll be scolded!"
Wait, what? Detour? What detour?
"What is Paula talking about Lizzie?" I questioned, raising an eyebrow.
"Oh, did I forget to mention? I was supposed to be heading home right now but I've stopped here to look for something for Ciel!"
Ren and my eyes widened.
"Then why did you drag me into this?"
"I'm only trying to help you Vikki! You've been locked in that mansion for a whole month! It's high time you got some fresh air!"
This girl sometimes… Ren tugged at my arm gently.
"Mistress, if Lady Elizabeth is looking for a present then maybe we should pretend to go and search for one. That way we can sneak away" Ren whispered.
I nodded. That didn't sound like a bad plan!
"Hey Lizzie, I think it might be a better search if we split up! How about Ren and I go and look for something for Ciel and then you and Paula can look as well. We can meet back here later to see if we've found anything"
Elizabeth pondered on it for a moment before nodding.
"Ok, but please be back here soon! Don't go sneaking off!"
I smiled.
"We won't!"
Ren and I quickly walked away to let Paula and Elizabeth debate over what they were going to do next.
"Nice thinking Ren; however we can't leave here without Elizabeth getting suspicious. I think we should just walk around and see what the fair has to offer"
Ren nodded in agreement. The two of us started walking ahead towards the bridge when I saw a familiar young boy and his butler walking in our direction. Crap! Didn't see that coming!
"Victoria, Ren, what are you two doing here?" Ciel asked, stunned.
Right, I need to think of a reason fast! What should I say? What should I say?
"Oh, we were just checking out the fair this year to see if there was anything interesting going on!" I lied. "What about you? Is there any particular reason why you're here?"
"Sebastian and I are here for the same reason. We just came to check out the fair. I'm surprised to see you here"
"As am I"
Suddenly something caught Ciel's attention from the corner of his eye. I followed his gaze towards a toy wooden ark placed on one of the stalls. Ciel smirked.
"Ciel, what's the matter?" I asked.
"All the wares they have lined up here are shoddy. Like that, for example"
He pointed his cane towards the toy ark on the shelf.
"Oh, young Mr Nobleman, I see you have quite an eye!" The stall owner cried. "This is an item made by the now hugely popular Phantom Company when it was just a small workshop!"
"We both know that the toy ark is a fake, don't we?" I commented.
"What do you mean it is fake, Mistress?" Ren asked, confused.
"The Phantom Ark was made by the most skilled craftsmen" Ciel explained. "It was very rare and valuable because there were only three made. Since the mansion burnt down, even the current company no longer possess the real item anymore. There's no way that there would be a real one here"
Ren nodded understandingly.
"You're…" A familiar voice began, fading out.
We turned to see Officer Aberlain standing behind Sebastian. Oh great that must mean Scotland Yard are here…
"To see that one of Scotland Yard's detectives has come here to slack off shows proof that London must be quite peaceful at the moment" Ciel commented slyly.
Aberlain looked annoyed.
"I'm not! I'm here on duty right now!"
Does he realise Ciel is conning him to get answers?
"Well then, you had better work hard to earn your keep on behalf of her Majesty and the people who employ you, Inspector" Ciel taunted.
We turned to walk away.
"Wait, I have something to ask you! Master Ciel!"
I turned my head slightly when I heard the sound of footsteps. Aberlain was running up to Ciel with his arm outstretched. He reached out for his shoulder; however Sebastian quickly smacked his hand away. Aberlain froze surprised.
"Pardon me, but as you can see our young Master is quite frail- I mean delicate" Sebastian explained. "So I would ask you not to lay your hands on him too roughly"
Ciel frowned annoyed. Sebastian said "frail" on purpose…
Aberlain led us to the nearest Chinese restaurant that was open near the Thames. Ciel and I sat on one side of the table while Aberlain sat on the other. Ren and Sebastian stayed nearby but out of sight.
"So then, what is a Scotland Yard detective doing here, Inspector Aberlain?" I asked.
"This morning, a man's body was found underneath the ice in the market. The man was a member of a specific criminal organisation. At present, we are chasing after the criminal that killed that man as well as the ring he stole. This was a blue embedded diamond ring worth around £2,000"
"Diamond: the stone that radiates exquisiteness for all eternity. All that awaits those mesmerised by its shine is destruction; however even knowing that, it is said that it is impossible to resist"
Wait a minute, that's Lau's voice! I turned to see him sitting on the right side of our table. Where the heck did he come from? Aberlain stood up surprised.
"How do you know about the Shard of Hope?"
"What? There's really a gem like that?"
"Huh, but now you just…"
"Ignore him. He's just stupid" I assured.
"He was just joining in. Don't pay him any attention" Ciel added. "Anyway Lau, why are you here?"
"This is my restaurant, Earl"
"You're kidding me…" I grumbled.
Aberlain slowly sat down.
"By the way, it appears that you are having an interesting conversation, young Earl and Lady Victoria. Will you two please fill me in on the details?" Lau questioned.
"What is the Shard of Hope anyway?" I asked.
"It is part of Lord Henry Hope's collection; a blue diamond that has been known as the Hope Diamond" Ciel explained. "It is a devilish stone that is rumoured to have brought all its previous owners an unfortunate fate, from King Louis XVI to Marie Antoinette. After disappearing from the world, the stone was divided in order to hide its past. It was cut and a small shard was taken from it. Consequently, one of the two shards of Hope diamond is what you are searching for correct?"
"The carriage was attacked while it was being transported as evidence and was stolen" Aberlain replied.
"This is all quite intriguing" I commented. "Could you please tell us more?"
"We'll participate in this matter too" Ciel added. "I won't force you to tell us; however if you refuse, your superior Lord Randall might end up in a predicament"
I sighed. Ciel always uses threatening things to get his own way doesn't he?
Aberlain led us to a shop which the Undertaker had set up in the market. What a coincidence for him to end up here! And yet he still freaks me out!
"Is it really here?" I asked just to be certain.
"Well, a lot of people have been dying from frostbite here apparently" Aberlain replied.
I sighed. Of course, no wonder the Undertaker's here…
"Since I permitted you to tag along, please wait outside" Aberlain ordered.
He went to open the door; however he fell right through it. The door wobbled like jelly.
"How reckless…" Ciel mumbled.
"That is but a privilege of youth" Lau commented.
Ok, why did Ciel let him come! He's going to ruin things again… We all stood there silently for a while.
"So, where are we?" Lau asked.
I was fuming!
"The Undertaker's shop you idiot!" I screeched. "Don't you remember? We met him during the Jack the Ripper case!"
"He'll be in tears any moment now…" Ciel stated.
"What do you mean, Lord Phantomhive?" Ren questioned.
Suddenly the Undertaker's laughter sounded throughout the market. Ren almost fell over with shock; however I caught her by the arm to hold her steady. I can't believe Aberlain made him laugh! Ciel was shocked! All of us quickly came in to find the Undertaker stuck in a coffin still giggling. He slowly stood up.
"You have definitely chosen the wrong profession! As a comedian, you could be known worldwide!"
"Just what did you do?" Ren asked.
"I-I just started talking as I normally would but then this guy suddenly…" Aberlain began, fading out.
So just by talking normally, Aberlain made the Undertaker laugh! Oh good lord! He is a weird one that Undertaker…
"Tell us about the ring, Undertaker" Ciel demanded. "The one that the body you disposed of this morning was supposed to have"
"There's a possibility that it could be buried in the area it was found in" Aberlain stated. "Please, we need to know where it is! It is a vital piece of evidence!"
"I have been highly impressed by you, Inspector. I'll tell you. The ring is…"
Instead of finishing his sentence, he led us to the ring instead. It was on an ice sculpture in the middle of the Frost Fayre. Aberlain gasped.
"I guess one of the ice sculptors must have come across the frozen ring here, and in order to take advantage of it, they added it to the sculpture"
Wow… For Lau, that is quite a good deduction!
"Get it out now!" Aberlain ordered.
Two officers dashed towards the sculpture and tried to get it off.
"What are you doing you ignorant whelps?"
A group of people that looked like judges slowly approached. I recognised one of them straight away. I grabbed hold of Ciel's arm.
"Ciel isn't that…" I began, fading out.
"Viscount Druitt!" Ciel cried. "Why is he one of the contest judges?"
"Wasn't he arrested for people trafficking?" Lau asked.
Oh, so he remembers that!
"He was released a few days ago…" Aberlain sighed.
"By money I presume…" I mumbled.
"I'm sorry but Scotland Yard must take this statue into possession"
"No! Even if you are from Scotland Yard, we will not permit anyone to have their own way here!" A male judge with a white beard wearing a black suit and black top hat retaliated.
"You can't argue with Scotland Yard" I commented. "You have a serious piece of evidence on that statue! If anything happens to it, then Inspector Aberlain is going to hold you responsible!"
"Oh keep quiet you insolent child! If you want this statue you must win the contest"
Did he just call me an insolent child? Oh, he's made me angry now! I went to charge at him; however Ciel grabbed my arm and yanked me back roughly.
"I see. I can agree to that" Ciel replied. "The ring will belong to the one who wins the competition. It's simple and clean. I will obtain the ring"
He's entering the contest!
"That's a stolen object!" Aberlain protested. "It's also important in the serial kidnappings of several young girls!"
Aberlain smacked his hand to his mouth. He just revealed something he shouldn't have!
"So that's why Scotland Yard is in such a frenzy" I commented slyly.
"Even so, it is true that those in possession of it have met ill fates, one after the other" Aberlain continued. "It really does fit its name and yet you still…"
"Then it really does fit me…" Ciel replied quietly.
"That reminds me, your ring also has a beautiful blue stone set in it, doesn't it?" The Undertaker stated. "You should be careful. Diamonds are hard, but for all their hardness they're fragile. If you overexert yourself too much, it may shatter"
"This body and this ring have both been through things that have shattered them and revived them. As if I would fear them shattering after everything I've been through!"
Ciel turned towards Sebastian.
"Win the contest Sebastian"
"Yes, my lord"
Two officers stood by the sculpture to ensure that the ring wasn't stolen. Ciel, Ren and I watched from the crowd while Sebastian was on the stage. Aberlain had decided to participate too in order to get the ring. Lau had also offered to participate. This could actually be quite amusing to watch… The contestants had until the clock struck 3o'clock to create an ice sculpture that satisfied the judges enough to win.
When the time was up, each of the four groups participating had to present their ice sculptures to the judges. Aberlain and his two officers were first. They had created an ice sculpture of Lord Randall… Oh good lord! That's not going to help them win at all! All five judges gave out the following scores: 1,2,1,1 and 0 (The zero came from the Viscount! He seemed really disappointed!). I noticed from time to time he kept glancing at me in the crowd and winked. I felt sick after remembering what I had been through just to get him arrested… The total score for Aberlain was 5. He's so not going to win… Next up was Lau with his sculpture. He'd gone and done an ice sculpture of Ran Moa naked… Luckily there were two people standing in front of the statue holding two lines of cloth to cover up the… er… private areas… Since it was unacceptable the judges didn't bother scoring it, so Lau ended up with a score of 0. Only the Viscount gave it a ten which was disallowed anyway! I face palmed my forehead.
"Aw, why can't they score it?" Lau moaned.
"They can't show something like that in public, Lau!" I cried.
"I think covering it up like that makes it look perverted…"
I sighed heavily. He is such an idiot!
"It seems Lau and Inspector Aberlain won't win…" Ren commented.
"I just hope Sebastian wins" I added.
"He will win, won't you Sebastian?" Ciel questioned.
"Of course" Sebastian replied with a smirk.
Sebastian's was the next one to be shown. He'd gone and sculpted an exact replica of Noah's Ark! The judges were gobsmacked! The detail Sebastian has put into it is something to be admired! Just as they were about to give the results, Sebastian intervened.
"Wait just a moment please! You haven't seen everything yet"
There's more! Sebastian clicked his fingers. The top of the ark spilt into two pieces and collapsed on the floor beside the bottom of the ice sculpture. In the middle of the ark were the animals that Noah had put on the boat! I watched Ren's eyes widen in shock.
"How has he managed to do that?" She questioned, stunned.
"Well, he is one hell of a butler…" I replied quietly, smirking.
I watched as a small smile appeared on Ciel's face. We are so going to win now!
"Well then, let's get to the judging!" The presenter announced.
"Wait right there!"
We all turned to see one of the young men from the fourth group of participators in the competition standing next to the statue with the ring on it. He was holding a gun that looked fully loaded.
"This ring was originally ours. Sorry but you will have to return it"
"What? You aren't one of those…" Aberlain began, fading out.
"That's right" The man replied, smugly. "We're the bombing thief's that have been the talk of the town!"
He opened up his jacket to reveal dynamite strapped to his side. Two people behind him kicked over a barrel to reveal more dynamite. Oh crap… This wasn't to be expected. Please tell me they are not going to blow up the ice to make it crack! The man took a lighter out and turned it on.
"I'll count down from ten. If you don't want to die, get lost!"
As soon as he started counting, people ran for their lives screaming. The only people that remained on the ice were Aberlain, Ciel, Sebastian, Ren and me.
"My orders haven't changed" Ciel stated sternly. "Do it, Sebastian"
"Yes my Lord"
Sebastian dashed off.
"Mistress, what do we do?" Ren asked.
"We don't do anything. They don't have the guts to kill us. They are merely saying it so that they can make off with the ring"
Aberlain began helping nearby people escape.
"Master Ciel, Lady Victoria, get away now!"
"If you want to run then do so!" Ciel retaliated. "We're not moving until we get that ring! Don't pay us any attention!"
"I'm not doing that!"
All three of us gasped and stared at him surprised.
"I became a police officer to protect people! No, I became one in order to protect everyone!"
Ciel smirked.
"What an idiot!" He muttered.
Aberlain began dashing towards us. He seems intent on trying to make sure we get out of here… A gun shot was fired by his foot. He halted sharply.
"Not another step closer!" The man cried.
He pointed the gun towards us.
"I'm down to the last three. Are you not going to run, children?"
"We have no need to because…" Ciel began, fading out.
Suddenly Sebastian leapt into the air next to the man and kicked the gun out of his hands. Is he wearing ice skates? Wow, I didn't know Sebastian could ice skate! The man just stood there with widened eyes and his mouth gaped open as Sebastian began skating around in circles. His minions fired gun shots in his direction, but of course Sebastian managed to dodge each one successfully! He skated by them and knocked them back forcefully. They fell to the floor.
"Fine, you three can be blown to smithereens!"
The man lit one bit of dynamite and sent it flying in our direction. Oh crap! All three of us gasped; however I felt someone grab me from behind and move us out the way. It was Sebastian! He continued to skate while holding Ciel in the air with one hand and holding Ren and me by our waists just off the ground with the other. The man was fuming. He continued to throw dynamite at us but failing as Sebastian gracefully dodged them. How is he even managing to keep balance with both his hands full? Ren seemed quite surprised by what Sebastian had just done and so was Ciel. The poor idiot didn't realise that Sebastian had tricked him. He had blown up a full circle around him and his minions on the ice. I watched with amusement as the ice began to crack. Idiot! But then I realised the ice sculpture was also stuck in the middle of the ice. Crap…
"Sebastian, the ice sculpture is about to fall!" Ciel and I both cried.
Sebastian grabbed hold of Ciel's wrist and spun him around. One by one he sent us flying into the air just as the ice cracked beneath him. We landed on Sebastian's ice sculpture of Noah's ark! I'm surprised it didn't break by our sudden impact! The ice sculpture and the criminals all fell into the freezing water. Sebastian joined us on the ice sculpture as we began to head towards the crowd waiting on the side-lines of the river Thames. They gasped when they saw we were alive.
"That was rather a rough method…" Ciel commented.
"I apologise. I only thought that getting rid of the baggage weighing me down was the appropriate course of action"
I frowned towards Sebastian who just smirked at me. Is he saying that all three of us are heavy?
"So that means now that the Shard of Hope will sleep at the bottom of the Thames…" Ren commented. "There is no way of getting it back now, is there?"
"Sadly I don't think so but at least it can't do people anymore harm" I added.
"I suppose we should just get back to land now" Ciel announced.
When the ice boat finally docked on land, Ren and I said our goodbyes to Ciel and dashed off to find Lizzie as quickly as possible! When we arrived back near the entrance to the Frost Fayre we found a very annoyed Elizabeth with crossed arms and narrowed eyes staring at us as we approached. How long were we gone for?
"Vikki, where the heck have you been?" She questioned with a hard tone.
"I'm sorry! I was looking you know! I went to the same stalls quite a few times to double check! I haven't found anything! You're just lucky I was looking properly and didn't decide to sneak off!" I lied. "So, did you find anything?"
"Oh yes I did! I found something that will make Ciel smile!"
I watched as she held up the same wooden Noah's ark that I saw on one of the stalls earlier today. Oh crap, she picked the fake one!
"Isn't it wonderful? It's just like the one that you, Ciel and I played with when we were younger!"
"Erm, I'm sorry to disappoint you Lady Elizabeth but that's-"
I quickly put my hand to Ren's mouth.
"What she meant to say was that it is wonderful! I'm sure Ciel will love it Lizzie!" I lied, smiling.
"Well, let's get going then my lady! We need to get back to the carriage quickly" Paula stated.
I watched Elizabeth skip off happily with Paula. Ren and I trailed behind a good distance away so she didn't hear our conversation. I removed my hand from her mouth.
"Mistress, why did you stop me back there? You know the ark is a fake!"
I sighed.
"Lizzie has been searching for a present all day for Ciel. If we told her the ark was fake it would break her heart so much! All she wants is to make Ciel smile again! It's best that we don't tell her. I hate to lie to her but it's for the best"
Ren nodded understandingly. Well today was quite weird! It went from having fun at the fair, to finding the Shard of Hope, to getting stuck in an ice sculpting contest, to almost getting killed by criminals! Yes, it seems it was very eventful today. Yet I can't help but get a shaky feeling this won't be the last time I lay eyes on the Shard of Hope…
The next chapter will be coming soon. Thank you to those who have reviewed this fanfiction and have added this to their Alerts or Favourites list! Please continue what you are doing! You are really helping me with feedback! :-)
