Hey again everyone :) I made this chapter long than the others and guess what? It's the start of the Curry Contest Arc :) So for people who like Agni or Prince Soma, hope this chapter is good. Thanks for reading :)

I turned over in my bed, yawning all the while as I rubbed my eyes. The nightmares had faded bit by bit. But I had to assume it was because I was just too exhausted to be targeted. Work had increased as Lady Elizabeth and her family, along with the young master's surviving family (I wasn't sure there were any) had stayed for Christmas dinner and then that had gone into New Year's. My back ached from cooking so much food. I sat up slowly and spotted that the sun was up. I guess I had little or no choice but to get up…1889 had probably looked a little better a week ago...

"MeyRin," I looked to the girl I was calling and she opened her eyes to view me.

"Elena?" she asked and I pointed to the window.

"When did Pluto climb onto the window?" I asked her and she picked up her pillow to cover her head.

"I don't know," she mumbled through the pillow so it sounded like, "I dunno."

"I'll get dressed," I said with a sigh before I froze. My heart was racing so fast, and I looked back at Pluto and wondered why I was panicked when I looked at the man. Why did I fear him? I got out of the bed and washed my face before I threw my pillow at the window.

"Get down Pluto!" I snapped at him.

He dropped and I went to get dressed in today's clothes just as Sebastian came up the stairs to wake us up.

"Good morning Elena," he said as he picked up MeyRin's pillow, "time to get up."

"I'm up," she mumbled.

"You're making a great impression of someone who is lying in bed," Sebastian said, "wear ordinary clothes. We are travelling to the townhouse today."

"The townhouse?" I asked as I put my underskirt on.

"Yes, the Queen has contacted the young master about a case. We are moving there for the next few weeks."

He left us to get dressed and I wondered what I should wear. MeyRin brushed her hair into its standard pigtails before pulling on a plum dress. She was doing up her boots when she looked over to me.

"Have you picked a dress yet?" she asked as she came to stand beside me.

"What should I wear?" I asked and she reached forward to pull a pale blue dress out with a matching blue coat.

"This will be perfect," she said as she got me a fresh corset and new underskirt. She helped me into both, careful about my healing ribs as I got dressed into stockings and the like. She helped me into the dress and then tied the bow after doing up the buttons. She clipped my hair back so curls bounced past my shoulders and she smiled.

"That's beautiful on you," she whispered.

"Thank you," I whispered and she brought me downstairs to see Bard and Finny already dressed with suitcases.

"Sebastian gave us these. The one Finny has is for you Elena and I have yours MeyRin," Bard explained.

"New clothes?" MeyRin asked.

"Not sure," he said as he smiled at her, "we're going to the townhouse!"

"You look pretty Elena," Finny whispered and I turned to smile at him.

"Thank you," I whispered in reply.

Sebastian returned to us and brought us around the back of the house to the carriages waiting. MeyRin, Bard and Finny got into the wooden one with Tanaka driving. I was about to boast myself up when Sebastian caught my hand to pull me towards the Master's carriage.

"Sebastian!" I gasped, "I'm a maid!"

"The young master will be sending me on messages during this task and I need you to attend him while I am away. You'll be his 'guest' like before."

"But shouldn't I be with the others?"

"Not this trip," Sebastian answered as he helped me into the carriage so I could sit opposite Lord Phantomhive.

The trip was quiet, or our carriage was at least. I could hear the other four saying what excited them most and I wished I was with them to talk to. To tell them I had never been to a townhouse before. My breath fogged up the glass in the carriage and I ran my hand through it to make a balloon but no sooner had I drawn it that it was gone. I touched my locket gently. Time could never heal the wound in heart nor could it dampen my hatred.

"I've seen that locket before," and I turned to see the young master was eying my necklace. I took it off and held it out to him which he took to look at it a little closer.

"It was my mother's," I said as he turned it over.

"I saw in the newspaper," he replied as he handed it back and I tied it around my neck.

"My family's murder was in the paper, my young master," I said softly, "it was an arson attack."

"I was….nearly ten when I heard that story," and he looked at me, "you told Elizabeth that you were betrothed."

"Was would be a better word," I blew out a breath, "he learned to hate me."

"How so?" Sebastian asked.

"He believed my seeing Greil was a trick of the light and thought as I begged him to believe me that it was no trick. He thought I was crazy."

"The marriage was called off?" Sebastian asked.

"He married another girl from the village. She was pregnant when I left," I sighed, "he believed that my crazy nature was from a damaged part of my brain that would affect any children we had."

"He was a fool," Sebastian said and I shook my head.

"He wasn't a fool," I looked back out the window, "he saw Annie as something else. We would have been mismatched. And if I had married him when my father wanted me to, I wouldn't have come to London. I would have had a family, or the startings of one."

"If the marriage hadn't been called off…you wouldn't have come to the estate?"

"No," I whispered, "my family would have been more important than a job. I would have stayed if it suited him. He was a blacksmith and was training in Houndsworth so it would have suited him to remain there."

I left it there as the carriage came to a stop and Sebastian opened the door. Ciel got out after that and I followed before I saw the mansion he called a townhouse. I gasped as I took another step closer to view the massive thing. It was bigger than Berrymore Castle and only slightly smaller than the Phantomhive manor. It was so beautiful. Finny took my hand and brought me to the back of the manor where the servants were expected to go. I ran in to investigate and I was shocked to see how beautiful it was.

"Sebastian said you would be attending the young master," Bard said as he lit a cigarette, "you better go catch up with them."

"Where would they be?" I asked.

"The drawing room upstairs would be my bet," Bard said as I ran on into the house. I spotted stairs and the master's cloak was already hung up. I walked up the stairs slowly and looked around, not seeing a drawing room but knew it wasn't my place to barge into rooms.

"I'll retrieve her immediately," and I saw the door to my right open and Sebastian stepped out….freezing when he saw me.

"I was just coming to fetch you," he said as he opened the door for me to walk in after him.

"Sorry…I didn't think you would need me that quickly," as I closed the door behind myself to look at the young master. It was the first time I noticed he was wearing a pale green suit. He had worn the outfit I had made on occasion with Lady Elizabeth beaming at how 'cute' it was. She had then grabbed me and asked me to make her something of equal beauty…but in pink. I had bought material with Sebastian in pale pink and going slightly darker. Nina Hopkins had been nice because Sebastian had been there with me and the mysterious 'demand' didn't apply to him.

"We are about to head out to the crime scene, Elena," Ciel said as he stood, "you are to stay here in the area and find out the immigration rate from India."

"From India?" I asked; just to clarify.

"Yes," he answered as Sebastian helped him into his coat and his hat. He walked past me and out of the house minutes later. He was so busy for a young boy. The youngest boy in my old village had been eleven and his job was to fetch dogs when they ran away.

"I guess the young get stuck with the harder jobs," I said to myself.

I was about to leave when I spotted a walking stick, the very same one that the boy had when he had visited Berrymore Castle. Sebastian or the young master must have forgotten it so I picked it up; glad I hadn't undone my coat and ran out the back door. They would be going by carriage so I had quite a distance to catch up by so I ran…glad to be wearing good boots. I got into London less than an hour later and looked around. People were asking questions but one woman was gushing out gossip so I walked up to her.

"Excuse me miss," and she looked me over, "you were saying something about a crime?"

"Have you not heard?" she asked and I shook my head, "Owners of the food industry have been hung by their feet outside a store by some angry Indians! I knew it was a bad idea to allow them to stay here!"

"Where is this crime scene?" I asked her, hoping the young master hadn't been in a rush to get there.

She gave me the address and I ran off, keeping the walking stick at my side as I came to the scene. They were getting the last man down and I must have looked worried as an inspector came up to me.

"Are you alright….Elena?" and I recognised him from the Frost fair.

"Inspector….?" And I must have looked embarrassed.

"Abberline," he replied and I nodded, "were you looking for someone?"

"I was looking for my…." And then remembered the young lord had said I was his guest last time, "Ciel. I'm looking for Ciel Phantomhive."

"Oh, he left here with that butler of his ten minutes ago. Went towards the Indian area," and he pointed in the general direction and I ran. He called after me, "Elena! It's not safe!"

I kept running until I could hear someone complaining. I put my back against a stone building and looked around the corner to see Sebastian and Ciel, and an Indian man was rubbing his chest. I spotted a knife in his hands so without thinking, I ran forward to stop the man behind Sebastian from slitting the butler's throat. The knife stopped an inch from his neck and I glared at the man as he took his knife away.

"Yes, give us all your money, brat," the Indian in front of the young master said as Sebastian looked to me briefly.

"What a cliché bunch of thugs we seem to have bumped into," Sebastian cracked his fingers, "Master, shall I handle this?"

"Yes, but make it quick," the young lord said.

"Certainly," Sebastian replied.

"Listen boy, you're outnumbered. Everybody within a mile of here hates you English dogs!" and he brought his knife forward but Sebastian pushed him away.

"Did he hurt you at all, young master?" Sebastian asked Ciel.

"He did not," Ciel replied, seeing me behind them and looked puzzled.

"Damned brat! You take over our country, drag us here and then throw us away like garbage!"

"Your people have dragged their filth all over our home land," another man said.

"How about we show you the humiliation of being robbed, eh?!" and the man rose his knife which I blocked with the walking stick.

"No one touches my master!" I snapped as I pushed the knife man away by catching the knife mid-air.

"Excuse me?" another voice joined the group, "I'm looking for this Indian woman. Perhaps you gentlemen have seen her around here?"

"Who the hell are you?" the knife man demanded, "just stay out of this!"

"Oh my, are you fellows having a duel?" the newcomer asked, "hmm? He has a konsama (sorry guys if I spelt it wrong) with him. Are you an English nobleman?"

"What if I say that I am?" Ciel asked as I looked around our group before my eyes settled on the newcomer.

"Then I will have no choice. I must side with my countrymen. Come Agni, defeat the Englishmen."

"Jo Agne (sorry again, I really don't think I spelt it right this time)," and Agni started undoing bandages from his hand. I took a step closer to protect Ciel as this man was obviously the threat now.

"I shall use my holy weapon, which I was given that I might serve my master," and the man ran forward.

Sebastian grabbed Ciel to defend while I stayed where I was, only briefly hearing my name by the boy as the man hit out at me. I raised the walking stick to defend for it to snap under the pressure.

"I always preferred dual weapons," I said with a sigh as I went forward to attack the man.

"I don't want to hurt a lady," he said as he went for my elbow.

"I'm not lady," I snapped as I caught him off from hitting me.

He caught me though on my arm and then my elbow, resulting in me gasping before falling to my knees. Before he left me, in an attempt to stop me coming after him again, when my elbow was hit, it lowered the half of the walking stick that my right hand was holding and he hit the elbow joint. I screamed as my I heard the bone crack and break (For reference, this is called a 'Golgi Organ Strike'). He went after Ciel and I tried to stand but I felt so weak. I got up after a moment as the knife man went after me and I defended myself against them with my left hand. The newcomer was watching me with awe as I caught one of his 'countrymen' by the leg and he fell down. It gave me a chance to stand. I looked around before I saw Ciel was still alright and Sebastian was still protecting him. My arm still ached.

"I have repeatedly struck many of your vital pressure points; any normal person's arms would have gone numb by now. How are you moving?" Agni asked, "I have also struck your lady."

"We were merely walking down the street. Are you no more than a reckless savage who will attack anyone who merely walks by you?" Ciel demanded before he looked over to me, "Elena?"

"Hold…on," I gasped as I turned to knock off another man who had gone after me.

He went for my gut as I knocked off his blow. But he had been the distraction as another man hit my neck. I gasped; my heart throbbed as I fell to my knees again. The air becoming thinner as my vision came in and out. I tried to shake myself out of it but by then I was on the floor…the walking stick fragments forgotten about as I drifted away…

I opened my eyes and coughed. I wasn't sure where I was and I didn't like not knowing. Fragments of memory returned to me and I looked around before wincing as the pain in my neck reminded me of the git who had hit me.

"You've re-joined us then?" a voice said and I looked around before I spotted Sebastian sitting beside Ciel.

"I'm….sorry," I croaked as I attempted to use my right hand to sit up but only gasped before falling back. I moved my left hand to sit up and then held my hand. The pain wasn't there I thought as I moved up my arm until I hit my elbow and I winced.

"Re-joined you?" I whispered as I looked at the two men.

"You were knocked unconscious," Ciel muttered, "I believe I told you to stay in the area of the townhouse."

"I thought…you forgot your walking stick. I wasn't sure if you needed it so I went to bring it to you."

"It's broken," he said and showed me the pieces.

"I thought the man was going to stab you," I whispered as a tear escaped my eye.

"And you Sebastian! You were supposed to protect me!" Ciel turned to glare at the butler.

"I did," Sebastian said with a smile.

"Elena had to stop me from being stabbed!" Ciel pointed out, "does this mean you are going back on our contract?"

"No," Sebastian replied, "you were never in danger."

"How do you reckon that?"

"Elena stopped the hit. If you had been in danger, I would have taken the knife at my back to protect you. Smart thinking to use the stick to stop the blade. I heard you mention dual weapons?"

"My father," I wiped my eyes, "he taught me to defend myself. He said it was an invaluable skill. I just reacted on instinct."

"You have a fine instinct then," he replied, "I believe this man, Agni, broke your elbow. I will wrap it for you when we return."

"Why didn't you run?" Ciel asked, "we were retreating."

"I wasn't sure how far you would get," I looked up and smiled, "and as a pawn, I must sacrifice myself for the king."

"You play chess?" he asked, almost stunned.

"I have," I answered, "and know my place as a maid is no better than a pawn. So please, my young master, use me to my full potential. I will defend you and Sebastian until my dying breath."

"You could have died today," he said and I nodded.

"I would give my life to make sure you survived. Consider me an arrogant fool," I replied, "as you called Abberline at the Frost fair."

"I'm not worth protecting," Ciel replied and I slowly reached forward for his hand.

"Young master," I said and he looked at me, "everyone deserves to be protected. You are trying to complete some task, I won't ask what but if you need me to be a pawn and lay down for death, then give me my orders and I shall comply. That was one reason why Berrymore hired me…he knew I could defend him."

"You said he treated you like dirt," Ciel said.

"He was never threatened," I answered as I put my hands on my dirty dress, "and when he died…I was no longer his maid."

The carriage came to a stop and Sebastian got out to open the door for Ciel and then took my left hand gently. He brought me through the front door where he helped Ciel out of his coat.

"Well that was a waste of time," Ciel said, not bothered to mention the incident again.

"One of those men might be the culprit we are looking for," Sebastian said, "let us wait for Sir Arthur to contact us."

"Master," Bard said with a grin.

"Welcome home," Finny beamed.

"Hello," MeyRin waved slightly.

"I'll never get any peace at this rate if I am called to London for every single little thing," Ciel said, sounding rather bitter to my ears. The front door opened and I moved out of the way, the servants catching sight of me and looked anxious.

"Ah, my Lord," Lau said with a smile, "how good it is to see you."

"What is he doing here?" Ciel asked, "how many times have I told you to send a note first?"

"Haha, well, I haven't kept a tally."

"Shall I bring some refreshments for our guest? Perhaps some tea, my Lord?"

"Oh dear, you might as well."

"Perhaps chai rather than Earl Grey?" Lau asked.

"Fine whatever," Ciel replied, looking tired. He turned to look at the door as I did and we both spotted the men from the incident. I glared at Agni having known he was the reason I was in pain at that moment in time.

"What? How?" Ciel asked.

"Oh them, I ran into them on the street corner. They said they wanted to speak with you," Lau explained.

"So you just come barging in here?" Ciel demanded.

"Why certainly," the better dressed boy said, "we are acquaintances now. Surely you haven't forgotten me?"

"We met during a street brawl. Your man attacked Elena!" Ciel snapped.

"And if you recall, I saved you," the boy said, the boy replied without really listening.

"Saved me? Excuse you!"

"Back home, if someone does you a favour, you offer them hospitality. Is it the British practise to leave your saviour out in the cold?"

Ciel almost growled under his breath as he followed them up to one of the spare rooms. They had closed the door behind them. I followed, knowing I would be only half useful if it came down to a fight. Sebastian stood behind the earl with me at the other side, trying my best to hide my pained expression. Ciel unlocked the door and slammed it open to glare at the pair, much the same as I was.

"Just who the hell do you think you are?" he snapped.

"Who am I? I am a prince," the boy stated.

"A prince?" Sebastian said, sounding like he was testing the word as a lie.

"This is the son of the king of Bengal," Agni announced, "will you please extend your warmest welcome to my master, Prince Soma Asman Kadar."

"Thank you for your hospitality, kid," Soma said with a smile.

"A real prince in our own home? How amazing," Finny asked as he tried to see past our three person barricade to view the man now lounging across the bed.

"Oh how exciting!" MeyRin said with a giggle.

"What an opportunity! I've never seen a prince up close before," Bard exclaimed.

"You may approach," Soma said almost lazily, "I give you permission."

"This Bengal place sounds exciting!" MeyRin said, "what's it like?"

"A holy land, blessed by the goddess Kali and watered by the Ganges River," the prince answered.

"I see you brought your servants into town with you this time," Lau said with a smile.

"Yes, we were able to leave the guard dog watching the mansion," Sebastian explained.

"Ah, it should be alright then," Lau said.

"Sebastian, don't let them out of your sight for a moment," Ciel ordered.

"Yes sir," Sebastian replied.

"Bring the tea to the drawing room and the first aid kit. You can fix Elena's elbow there," and Ciel motioned for me to follow.

I did as was ordered and followed him into the drawing room. Books lined a wall and I looked at their spines. There were so many stories I would have given by arms to read. But as I was the maid, I would never have the opportunity to read stories like Alice in Wonderland. My father had read me that story when he was off work and I was a little girl. He had compared me to Alice, and told me to be careful or I might fall into the rabbit hole.

Sebastian returned and motioned for me to take the same seat as the master as he handed him a cup of tea. I must have looked worried when Ciel looked at the two of us.

"Elena?" Ciel asked.

"I…." and Sebastian nodded before putting me on the chair.

"She is worried about her status, young master," Sebastian explained.

"Status?" Ciel asked; confusion evident on his face.

"She is a maid, they are not expected to sit so casually on the same chair as their master," Sebastian explained as he helped me out of my coat and undid the gloves that went to my elbow. It stung horribly as he did but I bit my lip and held my breath. He took a pair of scissors and looked to me.

"Which elbow?" he asked and I used my left hand to point to the right elbow.

"Right?" he asked and I nodded as he cut away the material up to my shoulder. He removed the whole arm and set the material on a tray before he looked the spot over.

"Bruised deeply, I need to stretch your arm and see the damage," and I nodded again as he took my right hand and put his other hand at my elbow to unbend it. I gasped as the pain flared and he'd barely touched it.

"The bone is definitely broken," Sebastian said and smiled up at me, "are you going to break apart, little pawn?"

"Not before I protect the young master," I snapped at him.

"I would expect nothing less," he said as he continued to un-bend my elbow and I fought the urge to pull it away from him. I laughed slightly when my arm was straight.

"I must look horribly weak," I said as I looked at Sebastian.

"You protected the young master, like before at the baiting pit, you are not weak."

"I took on fifteen men on my own," I said, "so much for being useful.

"You brought one down that I saw," Sebastian said with a smile for me, "and two tricked you. You defended yourself against one as another hit your neck."

"That prince guy…just looked on as if beating girls was normal to him," I spat.

"Prince Soma comes from a different place than us," Sebastian replied as Lau got himself another cup of tea, "he may view things differently. He may have attached you to us and considered what happened to you, your own fault."

"Humph," I mumbled.

"Mr Lau," Sebastian said, "can you hold Elena's hand like this as I wrap it. Elena, can you bend your elbow a little?"

Lau took my hand gently and I pulled my arm a little to bend and maybe got an inch before I shook my head. Sebastian wrapped my elbow gently to compress it and stop any more swelling before Lau let me go. Sebastian took my hand gently and squeezed one of my fingers and I watched as it went almost white and then red in about a second. He then put two fingers at my wrist and Lau took my hand again, to hold it up as Sebastian took out his pocket watch.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"Checking your pulse," he replied as he started counting under his breath.

"Your pulse is 64 beats a minute, but from what I gather, the man hit a pressure point in your neck that would have reduced your blood pressure. Do you feel dizzy? Sick?" Sebastian asked as he lifted my face so he could look at my eyes in the light.

"I felt a little sick earlier," I replied, "when I woke up in the carriage, I felt dizzy and confused."

"That would be expected," Sebastian replied as he gently put my elbow down, "you were on a street one minute to wake up and find yourself in a carriage. It could be considered quite disorienting."

"Sebastian?" and we looked to see MeyRin, "It is around ten now. Bard and I were going to clean the kitchen and then go to bed, if that's alright?"

"That's good," Sebastian replied, "I believe Elena will be staying in a guest room for tonight."

"I am?" I asked and he nodded.

"Give her some tea, Sebastian, it may help her sleep," Ciel said as Sebastian poured him another cup and held out one for me. I took it with my left hand and gently sipped it. My throat felt raw and I was grateful that I had been given the drink. Once it was finished, Sebastian took the empty cups, Lau left and Sebastian prepared Ciel for bed. Sebastian returned a little while later and helped me up.

"The dress is ruined, of course," he stated as he brought me to the bed. He undid his tie and wrapped it around his eyes as he unbuttoned the dress, unwrapped the ribbon. I felt the material as it went down my body, barely touching my arms. He picked it up and put it over a chair before getting rid of my corset and leaving me in my undergarments. He retrieved a long blue nightdress with a ribbon at the waist which he put on me. Once it was on, he took off his tie and quickly braided my hair over one of my shoulders and helped me into bed.

"I hope you have a pleasant evening," he said.

I opened my eyes when I heard Ciel yell, "why are you in my room?"

I quickly got out of my bed to pull my door open. I wasn't sure if the young master was in peril as I ran to the open door and spotted Agni looking down at the boy as Soma grabbed him from behind.

"We are going out and about, kid. Show us around town," Soma said.

"Why should I do that?!" Ciel demanded, "and don't call me kid anymore. I have a real name. It's Ciel!"

"Alright Ciel," Soma said and spotted me in the doorway, "I order you to show me around."

"Excuse me, your highness," I said in the most bitterly sweet voice I could use, "but I believe the young master has tasks to complete today and…" I caught Ciel and put him behind me, "none of those tasks involve showing you the town."

"Who do you think you are speaking to?!" the prince demanded.

"Prince Soma Asman Kadar," I replied as I batted my eyelashes, "or was I wrong?"

"Pardon me prince, I am terribly sorry," and I turned a little to see Sebastian standing there, "my master's day is full as Elena has stated. I'm afraid there is a great deal of work and studying he must attend to."

I blocked the door as Sebastian brought Ciel downstairs. The prince fumed at me and glared at me to boot. Oh what fun!

"You don't know your place!" he snapped.

"I recognise you," Agni said, catching Soma's attention.

"I was at your street brawl," I replied, "I'm the girl you broke the elbow of."

I walked out of the room to my own, seeking clothes that weren't that nightdress. I found my corset and that was all. The door was knocked and MeyRin came in.

"Sebastian said he would come up to help you but he must stay with the young master. What happened?"

"The prince thought he could force our young master to do as he wants," I replied, "MeyRin, can you be careful of my elbow?"

She did up my corset and had brought up my suitcase. She grabbed a pink dress and put it on me and I must have looked confused.

"The young master has requested you are to be his guest again. He said 'a secret weapon must be seen as a threat' and he wanted me to dress you."

Once dressed, I walked down to see Ciel and Sebastian in the dining room. Ciel beckoned me in and I nodded before standing there slightly confused.

"Miss," Sebastian pointed to a seat beside Ciel, "you will be sitting with the young master today."

"Thank you, Mr Michaelis," I replied as I took my seat.

I looked around for a moment before I was given a scone. Ciel was eating slowly.

"Sebastian, I thought you said you were giving Elena a day to sleep the worst of her injury off," Ciel said slowly.

"I apologise young master," I said, "but the prince waking you up was the reason I woke up."

"You protected me even though you were damaged," Ciel looked at my face.

"It's what a secret weapon does," I bit into the scone and swallowed, "I'd be useless to you if Agni had put me completely out of commission."

"Interesting way of viewing it," Ciel said as I finished my scone.

"May I ask, what the plan is for today?" I asked and Sebastian answered, "the young master has violin practise as well as fencing."

"You will need to be taught as well," Ciel pointed out, "as my guest, you are now considered a young lady. You will be taught as I will."

"Lovely," and Ciel looked shocked, "I love the violin. I always have."

"Your father taught you, didn't he?" Ciel said with a sigh.

"No, my cousin Mariya," I said with a smile, "I don't have a violin with me though."

"I have a spare," Ciel grumbled before whispering low enough that only I could hear, "I was expecting to leave Sebastian to teach her the basics."

"You will need a tutor while we are in London. I shall fill that role," Sebastian said, having changed into some form of tutor's clothes. He looked like he had graduated from a high standing university rather than being a butler.

"Bach Charconne in D Minor," Ciel looked at the music notes and I was viewing my copy as well, "there is no way I can play something this complex."

"As your tutor, I make the rules. Surely you have no objections to my teaching methods, master?" Sebastian asked and I smiled softly.

Sebastian looked over to me. I could use the bow only if I didn't bend my elbow too much. I lifted the violin to sit under my chin and played the notes carefully. Sebastian watched me for a moment and when I got to the end of the page, he turned it over for me to continue. Once I was finished, he smiled.

"Very well done, Elena," he said, "you are not without skill."

He turned to look at Ciel, "now you, young master. Surely you can do better than Elena who has a broken elbow?"

Ciel began playing and it sounded so sweet to my ears.

"Well done, very nice my young lord," Sebastian said, still holding a bow though I couldn't see his violin. Was I holding his violin? I closed my eyes to focus on the notes the young master was playing.

"What are they doing?" I heard Ciel ask and I opened my eyes to see that the three of us were no longer alone in the ballroom/study hall. I saw the piano and then the giant brown statue. I put the violin down with care as I walked over to investigate. Soma and Agni were chanting around a statue.

It was of a woman I figured, because of the skirt. She was standing on the stomach of a man on the floor which confused me. She wore a necklace of heads which reminded me of Berrymore's hunting trophies and they appeared shrunken in size. In her left hand, she held the head of a man which fascinated me and then I spotted she actually had four arms. Three appeared to be holding weapons of some degree while the head was being held out. It reminded me a child saying, "look what I caught, nananana."

"If I had to guess, I would say they were praying," Lau said and I looked to see he was still here, "quite an odd idol they have, isn't it?"

"It looks to me of a statue of a woman who seems to be carrying a severed head. She is wearing a necklace of severed heads as well….and dancing on a man's stomach," Sebastian described.

"It depicts one of the sacred beings of Hinduism," Agni explained, "she is the goddess Kali."

"A goddess of India?" Ciel asked.

"Kali is the wife of the God Shiva. She is also the goddess of power. Here she is again," and this time he had pictures. Yeah, art class!

"According to our faith, a demon once foolishly challenged her. Naturally she was victorious; however, her destructive urges were not quelled. She gave herself to destruction and carnage! And then to protect the earth, her husband Shiva threw himself at his wife's feet. Treading upon her husband brought Kali back to her senses and peace was again restored to the world. The statue shows her story. The goddess Kali walking upon her husband and in her hand, the head of the vile demon that she slue," Agni explained.

"And there you have it," Ciel sighed.

"Yes, Kali, the goddess of death and destruction," I whispered low enough for only him to hear me. He smirked which I took it that he thought it was funny.

"I have never heard of a goddess with such power. I will have to keep that in mind if I ever go back to India," Sebastian said.

"Alright then! We are done praying!" Soma said, catching Ciel's wrist, "let us go out!"

"I'm too busy to go out! I already told you that!" Ciel snapped at the prince.

I walked forward and caught the prince's top bringing him to a stop. Ciel watched as I took his hand and brought him to his feet before I put him behind me.

"As I said before," I whispered, "I believe the young master has tasks to complete today and none of those tasks involve showing you the town."

Sebastian stood beside me as I smiled. The prince glared at me like I was a massive problem.

"Consider your options," I said to him, "you go for the boy again, and I will hurt you."

"Is that a threat?" Soma demanded as Agni took his side.

"Take it as you like," I replied, "but Ciel Phantomhive stays here until he says otherwise."

"You threatened me?" Soma said sounding almost amused, "Agni, deal with the girl."

"Sebastian," and I put my hand back, "give me your bow."

"Elena," but I took it as Agni said, "Jo Agne."

He went forward to surprise me but I knocked his blow back with the bow. I shook my head as I followed him further into the room.

"Is this how you should treat a girl?" I asked softly, "and I can't break this bow."

I hit his arm at the pressure point and he touched the point with awe.

"I'm a fast learner," I said as I put the bow under Angi's chin, "now, do I have to show you what I mean?"

"You are a noblewoman, how can you know to fight?" Agni asked.

"I never said I was a noblewoman," I replied as I walked back to Sebastian and Ciel, "you only assumed."

Ciel looked me over as I brushed my hair away from my face. Once that was done, I gave the bow back to Sebastian who viewed it.

"Not even scratched," he said with a smile.

"He wasn't trying," I said, "if he had tried, I would have had to get you a new bow."

Sebastian nodded as Ciel took my arm gently. We walked out of the room as I viewed everything around me. Ciel Phantomhive had a more modern house compared to Henry Berrymore. Sebastian pointed to a room and Ciel brought me into it. It looked like the ballroom we had just been in but there were fencing swords set up.

"Elena, I must prepare the young master for his lesson," Sebastian stated, "I will retrieve MeyRin for you."

"You don't need to," I said quickly.

"Can you dress with your elbow broken?" he asked, slightly amused.

"Not easily," I retorted.

MeyRin was called and I was put into a different dress. This one was black and stopped above my knee with a pair of thicker black stockings now graced my legs. My boots were a little sturdier and my hair was braided at the back of my head. I returned with a black top that went over the bodice of the dress and my locket hung around my neck gently.

I walked back to the fencing room to see Ciel had a sword in his hand, his clothes different and less constricting. Sebastian handed me a sword when I walked in. I spotted what appeared to be a rug on the floor, and the prince was leaning on it, looking so bored with the change in events. I stifled a laugh which caught his attention. He looked like he was seeing me again for the first time, and I wasn't sure I liked it. He looked like he had walked in a desert for years and had found his oasis.

"Beautiful," he whispered and I sighed.

"Elena," Sebastian caught my attention, "have you fenced before?"

"Not fencing," I replied as I held the blade in both my hands, "I've used a knife before."

"I'll the leave the young master to explain the basics then," and he motioned for Ciel to take over.

Ciel brought me away from the prince and taught me the simple things. Telling me not to put too much force behind the blow or the blade would go in a different direction. We had a match after where he won but he believed I had natural skill.

"Thank you, young Lord," I bowed to him and let Sebastian take over their lesson so I could sit down. I had been fencing with my left hand as my right wouldn't keep a grip on the sword. Soma leaned closer to me after a moment and was smiling at me like an eejit.

"You are very beautiful, miss," he said softly, "do you have a name?"

"Yes," I answered and he waited a moment for me to tell him.

"You didn't tell me your name," he mumbled.

"You asked if I have one, and I do," I turned my eyes to him, "so I answered the question you asked me."

"What is your name then?" he snapped.

"Elena," I replied as I saw Sebastian block a good hit from Ciel.

"That is a nice name. Does it has a meaning?" he asked and I didn't answer for a moment as I heard Sebastian say, "touché, young master."

"You are ignoring a prince," he snapped, "are all British like this?!"

"I have my duties," I responded, "I am watching a match between the young master and Sebastian."

"Fine," he muttered.

"My name, Elena, does have a meaning," I answered a moment later, "it comes from Greece, America, Italy and Spain but the meaning is the same: shining light or the bright one."

"You are definitely a bright lady," he said after a minute.

"I am no lady," I said as he looked at the match with disinterest.

"Honestly, when are you going to be done with all this?" Soma asked, sounding so bored, "yawn, what are you even doing anyway? You look like an idiot."

"Be quiet! You're distracting!" Ciel snapped at him.

"Are all the English this short tempered?" Soma asked me and I shook my head.

"I believe people become exasperated with you, your highness," I replied and he looked momentarily annoyed.

"You're never going to shut up, are you?!" Ciel demanded as he took the sword from Sebastian, "if you need attention so badly, why don't you give fencing a try?"

"Aha! And if I win, you will go out on the town with me?" Soma asked as he caught the sword Ciel threw to him.

"If you can beat me," Ciel said, making it sound like there was little or no possibility of that particular outcome.

"Good luck to you, my prince," Agni said and held out a cup of tea for me but I shook my head.

Sebastian moved to act as a referee for the match as Soma took a mock version of the stance Ciel now held.

"Now let the fight begin!" Sebastian called out.

The prince ran forward and did exactly what Ciel had told me not to do. He put too much force behind the blow which resulted in the shot hitting Ciel's boot.

"You're mine now!" Soma said with a grin, "hey! What the?"

"A strike like that will accomplish nothing for you," Ciel said as he brought his blade down to point at the prince's chest.

"Wait! This isn't fair! I don't know the rules like you do!" Soma called out.

"Hey, a fight is a fight. It's not my fault if you don't know," and Ciel went for the point.

"Highness, look out!" and I jumped up as Agni did.

I missed it by a mile as Agni stopped the blade from hitting the prince by catching the tip in a cup. He then hit the young master's elbow, resulting in him falling to his knees as his left hand was holding the blade. Sebastian hadn't moved to protect him. Ciel dropped his blade to hold his elbow and I felt the pain in mine. Now, he would understand roughly how much it hurt…however his was not broken.

"Sir, I am sorry!" Agni looked at what he had done to the young master as I lifted his arm to view it, "when I saw the prince losing my reflexes took over. Forgive me."

"You'll be glad to hear it isn't broken," I said in a low voice for Ciel to hear, "he just hit a pressure point to numb your arm."

"Nice to know," Ciel gasped.

"You protected your master well, Agni," Soma laughed, "so that is it kid, Agni is my servant, an extension of myself, which means this fight goes to me."

"Wait!" Ciel said, "that's not fair!"

"How interesting," Lau commented, "Sebastian, it looks like you'll have to avenge your master. Here you go," and he threw the blade to Sebastian, "as poor Elena is still injured from yesterday."

"I could take the prince easily," I looked at the boy in question.

"Ah, but the fight is now with Agni," Soma said, "you may be an extension of Ciel but you are rather useless."

I ground my teeth together before I helped Ciel to his feet.

"For goodness sake," Sebastian sighed as he caught the blade, "Master, why ever did you have to provoke the bratty little prince?" Ciel looked annoyed, "however, as the Phantomhive butler, I cannot sit idly by while someone harms my master. That would be an absolute disgrace to my position. Besides," and he looked to his watch, "we are a full ten minutes behind schedule now."

"The time?" Ciel asked, "that's what you care about?"

"I am curious. I will allow you to duel. Fight him and in the name of Kali, make sure you do not lose," Soma commanded Agni.

"Sebastian I order you!" Ciel snapped, "shut the brat's mouth now!"

"Jo Agne," Agni replied.

"As you wish, young master," Sebastian replied.

They started then and I was amazed at how they appeared to match each other. One strike was met with a block. I had gotten the young master a cup of tea to drink and I felt Soma lean closer to me.

"Believe me prince," I said as I kept my back to him, "take another step and I'll make you regret it."

"But you are so beautiful," he whispered and I put my sword to his throat.

"I am not interested," I replied, "talk to Lau about my beauty as he made an ice sculpture of it."

"I got her face done perfectly…but they hid the rest of her," Lau sighed, "it really was a shame."

"Hid the rest of her?" Soma asked.

"I made her as nature intended…nude," Lau replied as he looked me over, "if only I could have gotten her eyes the right colour. Ice can be so cold but your eyes," and he walked over to look into mine, gripping my chin, "are like warm chocolate normally. But now, they act like ice."

"Act like ice?" and Soma looked to my eyes as I took my face away, hitting Lau's hand with my hair.

"Cold and hard," Lau said with a sigh, "has anyone made them melt yet?"

"Julius did," I replied as I took the cup from the young master, "and no one since him."

"Who is Julius?" Soma demanded, "I will kill him to take your hand! Are you married to him?! I wish for you to become my servant….or if you prefer my wife…."

"Hardly," I replied with a smirk, "I wouldn't marry a dog. No thank you for the proposal."

They each looked confused as Ciel got up to go to Sebastian. The fight must be over so I acted as his shadow as he approached his butler.

"My how lovely. It seems as though the swords have broken," Sebastian viewed the broken piece of sword in his hand.

"That means it's a draw, doesn't it?" Lau said.

"That servant of yours is indeed impressive, Ciel," Soma commented from behind us, "Agni is by far the best fighter in my palace. I've never met anyone who could keep up with him before."

"What happened?" Ciel asked as we reached Sebastian, Agni already moving towards the prince, "Agni is no ordinary human is he? Don't tell me he's another…."

"No my lord, he is deadly but he is human enough," Sebastian replied.

"I see, but with as much strength as he has…." Ciel commented.

"Indeed, he could effortlessly hang men upside down. It would be a simple task for him," Sebastian commented.

"Are you talking about the owners of some food shops?" I asked and Ciel looked me over.

"How did you hear about that?"

"I went to bring your walking stick to you, and you had mentioned a crime scene. I found the local gossiper and she told me where to go."

"You aren't without your talents," Sebastian commented as he looked me over.

I was changed out of the fencing gear after Ciel. Sebastian again covered his eyes and as he didn't trust the prince, a spare tie was found so he could cover Ciel's eyes as I was unchanged.

"I don't see why I had to come in here," Ciel groaned, a blush creeping up on his cheeks.

"The prince is determined to have his way," I said softly, "Sebastian would not have left you unprotected."

"But I'm in this room with you getting changed!" Ciel snapped.

Sebastian took off the old corset and then his blindfold. He said he was going to change the wrapping on my ribs to protect them. He unwrapped me and put aside the used bandages before putting new ones on. I looked to the boy with a smile as Sebastian put a new corset on me ad tied it slowly before I shook my head.

"One moment," I whispered as I stepped over to the wall and put my hands on it, "now."

"What's going on?" Ciel asked as the ribbon was pulled.

"Elena is making it easier on herself to have the corset put on," Sebastian replied as he pulled it tighter.

He stopped after a moment more as he would have undone the healing my ribs had already been through. He put me in an underskirt and then a cream dress.

"Young master, she is decent," Sebastian said and Ciel took off his blindfold as Sebastian was doing the buttons of the dress.

"My suit was that colour," Ciel sighed.

"Something a young girl or a young child would wear," I said as I had my head down, "not you, my young master."

Sebastian finished with the ribbon and put my necklace so it was hidden. My hands were uncovered and I looked down at the burns.

"Gloves?" and I nodded and they were put on to my wrist as the sleeves were long. My elbow stung a little from the movement.

"You hide your scars?" Ciel asked, "why?"

"Everyone has scars," I whispered, "and some are just too hard to show. When my parents were killed, I scarred only my hands as pieces of my home fell around me. A year passed and Lord Henry gave me more scars. I don't want everyone knowing my history; sometimes…time can't heal a wound. But as I said that night and days after, when I give up on my revenge, it's over."

"How so?"

"The person I have become, the trials I faced, they made me the person who stands before you as your maid. If I hadn't faced those problems, I would have married Scott; I would have worked for Lord Henry. I don't want time to heal my wounds or dampen my hatred. I want to face Greil and know that whatever the outcome, I will be strong enough to complete the task."

Ciel nodded and walked out of the room with me following. Sebastian stood near me before catching my arm gently.

"That was quite a speech, Elena," he said softly, "I didn't expect you to have the same view as the young master."

"How long do you intend to stay here?" Ciel asked as dinner was served. It looked beautiful and sweet. Ciel sat at the head of the table with Soma facing him. To his right was Lau and to his left was me. Sebastian, as he had set the plates, had shown me how a young lady was expected to act in company. As I was the only girl at the table, I picked up the lessons quickly. Ciel would give some input on the matter, referring to his mother, when he told me what utensils I was expected to use during the meal.

"We will leave when our business is done," Soma replied.

"That's right, you said you were searching for someone," Lau commented and I was reminded of his saying such during the street brawl.

"And you," Ciel looked to Lau, "how long are you intending on staying?"

"Now my lord, play nice," Lau answered.

"I am searching for a woman. This is her," and Soma held out another project from art class. He should really ask Agni to draw his pictures if he wanted us to define features of the woman.

"Mina, she was a servant at my palace," Soma supplied.

"Well Sebastian, do you think you can find her?" Ciel asked.

"Even I can't do much with that," Sebastian answered as he looked closer at the picture, "but I'll try."

"So, tell me what this Mina doing here?" Ciel asked.

"I have known Mina for my entire life. She was basically my nursemaid. The only person who really took care of me. My mother and father barely paid attention to me. It was a lonely life," Soma explained, "but I had Mina. She was always there for me. Then, a British nobleman had his eyes on her, kidnapped her and took her back to England with him."

"In other words," Ciel commented, "you're here to bring this woman back to India with you."

"That is right! I will stop at nothing to bring her back."

"It seems like a lot of fuss for a servant."

"No it isn't!" Soma snapped, getting out of his seat so he could grab Ciel by the shoulders and bring him up, "You cannot comprehend my despair at being separated from her. You cannot understand-"

"No I don't," Ciel replied, "Something as trivial as that causes you great despair? You're right I don't understand it and I don't care to," he slapped away the prince and went to the hall door, furthest from me, "there are some things you cannot get back, no matter how hard you struggle. But maybe you're still too young to understand that, Prince Soma."

Ciel left us then, Sebastian staying near me as Lau continued to eat. Soma stayed where he stood and viewed the door the Lord had just exited by as if he expected him to re-enter.

"Too young, I am old enough to know what I want and I do not want to be alone anymore," Soma said.

I stood and left the table, leaving with Sebastian as we put the dishes on the trolley he had brought with him. He brought it through to the kitchen where I helped him put them away after he had washed them. I put the trolley away as well before Sebastian turned to me.

"You are meant to be a guest of the master's, it is not expected of you to do the dishes," Sebastian said as he helped me down from the step ladder.

"I'm a maid," I replied, "that is my job."

"I suggest you find the young master and keep him company. He may be in a foul mood," Sebastian commented.

"Why?" I asked.

"He offered an olive branch to the prince for not being free, and the prince turned him down," Sebastian said, "do you know how to play old maid?"

"No," I replied, "what type of game is it?"

"A card game," Sebastian replied, "It is a simple game. The dealer would be the young master. The player to the left of him would go first, and you would make a fan of your cards, holding them face down to the person on your left, so it might be the young master himself. He would a chose a card from your deck, as you have split the deck between the two of you. He would then take the card without knowing what it is. If he has a pair, he can put your card as well as the other card of the couple down but if he doesn't have a pair after selecting a card from you, he must keep the card in his hand. He will then put his deck out in a fan for you to select a card and the game continues until the winner has placed down their last card. The player left with the Old Maid card is the loser."

"I'm assuming it's a joker or something like that, as then there would be no pair."

"I think the young master plays it that way," Sebastian explained.

He handed me a deck of cards and told me the young master was most likely in the drawing room upstairs. I knocked on the door gently and heard a brisk, "Enter!" from within as I opened the door.

"Master?" I asked and he turned to glare at me for a moment before the expression changed.

"Why are you up here, Elena?" he asked.

"Sebastian suggested I keep you company," and I held up the deck of cards in my hand, "he said you liked to play old maid."

"Have you played it before?" he asked, giving me his full attention.

"No," I answered, "but Sebastian explained the game to me so I think I might win…after fifty games," I covered my mouth to laugh and I saw a smile on his face.

He took the deck from me and shuffled them, keeping his attention on the cards as I sat down. He gave me half and put out the only other joker in the deck. So the joker was our old maid. A half hour past and Ciel won every game except one and that was because he got stuck with the old maid by mistake. He shrugged it off as nothing and we kept playing. I heard two people coming up the stairs and go into one of the spare rooms.

"So they're back," Ciel commented.

"They seem rather suspicious to me," I said softly as I took a card from his deck, and saw I had a pair, "but I might be slightly biased as Agni did break my elbow."

"Yes, they are odd but I don't see how the recent string of crimes would benefit them. They don't seem to bear much of a grudge over colonial rule. Anyway, if they were involved, would they willingly cross my path without a second thought? That's just begging me to suspect them."

"A good point, young master," I replied as I fanned out my deck for him to select a card, "maybe they don't know your position or perhaps they are just looking for this Mina woman."

"It's still too soon to know that for sure," Ciel said as he put his deck out for me again.

The young master yawned and I smiled as I picked a card. It wasn't a pair so I put my deck down for a moment.

"I'll get you some tea," I said simply.

I ran down to the kitchen and put water in a pot with tea leaves. I put it on a tray with one cup and a glass of water for myself. Lau saw me on the stairs and opened the door for me. I stepped in and poured a cup for the young master as I took a drink of the water. Today had been interesting, as had yesterday. I looked out to the snow for a minute and smiled. The young master sipped his tea slowly.

I put the glass down and I'm glad I did. I returned to look out the window just as a face appeared and I screamed. Ciel looked up and sighed when he saw the face.

"Sebastian, any news?" he asked and I peered closer to see it was indeed Sebastian, hanging upside down.

"Young master, he has made his move," Sebastian said simply, as if hanging like a bat was as normal as breathing to him…over-dramatic till the end. It was going to be a long night.

Hope this chapter was good :) I know it's a long one but I was trying to start the Curry Contest Arc :) I hope to have another chapter up soon. Thanks for reading and remember to review :)