A/N: Wow guys thanks for waiting yet again. Ahh all of your kind reviews are much appreciated!

So wanna know something embarrassing I did? I accidentally posted this new chapter in my one-shot. Oop.

For future chapters, let's have a little review. So first of all, in case you didn't know, sometimes back in the day feasts lasted a couple days with guests staying there the entire time. At least that's what I've heard. Secondly, this isn't really relevant for this chapter, but whatev. Ciel and Sebastian are not their canon ages. In this story, Ciel is 14. Sebastian, on the other hand, doesn't really have an official age, since the only time it was mentioned really was Ciel kind of guessing. I intended to be in his late teens, early twenties, but I thought I'd keep that open. And lastly, Ciel's time at the castle. He was taken there late spring/early summer, and it's currently early fall. Same year. yay review time over.

Warnings: Idk nothin I guess. Lots of dialogue. Charles Grey is in this chapter a lot so that's fun right.

Chapter 12

Ciel sat by the window with one of his blankets draped over his shoulders. His chin rested on the ledge and his head was angled so that he could properly hear what was going on downstairs. The party carried on, but Ciel heard faceless whisperers that had their doubts. Beatrice's plan had not been a complete failure. At the very least, her words brought forth suspicion.

He soon came to realize that although he was no longer in the dungeon, he was a prisoner. He knew Sebastian had most likely told the knight to keep a close eye on him until further investigation. The way the knight positioned himself in front of the door and watched Ciel's every move made his prisoner status evident.

Ciel didn't know many knights personally, so his respect for them was lacking, especially after he learned about their actions toward Beatrice and her family. Sometimes he saw them lounging around, but otherwise, he never ventured to their dwelling place in the castle. What he did know was that there were a lot of them; more than he would have ever guessed.

With knights never being a prevalent part of his village life, Ciel assumed it was because there simply weren't that many of them. It made sense, being born in a nation that had seen continuous peace for many decades. This wasn't the case though. It's not that there weren't many knights. The problem was they were all at the castle, rather than dispersed throughout the kingdom.

"What business do you have to speak of with the king anyways?" Charles asked.

Ciel's head turned to regard the man, who finally seemed to grasp that the boy had no intention of putting up a fight and escaping. He was relaxed against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest. His helmet was off, so Ciel could now fully see his smiling face and fair hair.

The boy hesitated giving the knight any information that might lead him to believe that he was part of the plan. He chose his words very carefully. "I'm aware of Beatrice's background and why she despises the king as much as she does."

Charles snorted. "You people might not like the king very much, but you must know he isn't a fool. If you're planning to defend her, it's not going to work. He's not just going to let her go after the crime she committed."

"I'm aware," Ciel grumbled. Apparently Charles took him for an idiot.

Of course he knew that there was no chance that Beatrice and Freckles would see freedom again. Beatrice is the one who but refused to listen to him about the flaws in their plan. But there had to be some way he could make up for it. Because he used to be the same as the two of them; willing to do anything in order to get away.

"Then what are you planning to say?"

"I'm going to tell him the truth. I'm going to tell him that his knights are to blame for her actions." The boy flashed him a deadly look.

Sir Charles laughed it off, but Ciel noticed him falter. The muscles in his face twitched and his Adams apple bobbed when he swallowed hard. He knew exactly what the boy was talking about. "Is that so?"

"You are the ones who beat her husband in front of her, never mind taking her away from their dying daughter."

The smile that Charles had previously been wearing faded away. "Not all of us are responsible for that. And in any case, it was the king's orders to take you all away and to use force if necessary."

"Yes. That is exactly why her target was the king instead of the knights."

Sir Charles sat in silence for a moment, staring off at nothing in particular. "So you intend to indirectly blame the king for the peasant's actions."

Ciel shrugged. "If that's how you want to see it. Knowing about her past, I assume that the only reason she would make such a reckless move is because she was desperate to go back to her family and see if they're still alive. Maybe she figured we'd all be set free if the king's actions were exposed."

Sir Charles nodded, beaming. His dimpled grin made his face look almost child-like, his enthusiastic demeanor emphasizing it.

"You're right, I guess. You're sort of clever for a peasant aren't you?"

Almost every guest was drunk or tipsy. Instead of the busy evening coming to a gradual end, the noise level crescendoed with drunken slurs and thunderous laughter. Ciel was slightly taken aback. He imagined these people to be more dignified, bearing in mind how wealthy and supposedly sophisticated they were. Ciel was forced to acknowledge that, just like the king, indecency was a weakness of the wealthy.

Hours passed by, and the only thing keeping Ciel awake was Sir Charles' constant chatter. Because of his exhaustion, Ciel gave little more than an occasional grunt or hum in response. It was only when he realized that the racket downstairs began to die down that he perked up. Quietness meant that people were beginning to retire. And this meant that the king would soon do the same.

One of Ciel's jobs as a servant was to chaperone some of the guests back to their rooms after the night was over, but since he wasn't there, he could only assume that William had forced his job on some other poor soul. Once he heard the others return to their quarters, he would go to speak to the king and hope that he wasn't as intoxicated as the guests he'd heard from his window.

"Escort me to the king," Ciel demanded, cutting Charles off. Ciel wasn't even sure what new subject he had mosey off into.

"Why don't you just wait until tomorrow? It's late and the king will want to sleep." The knight yawned shamelessly and threw his arms up in the air to stretch.

Ciel's eyebrow arched up. "But I'm offering him further information about a plot against him."

With a heavy sigh, the man slipped his helmet under his arm and turned to open the door. "Fine, fine. I'm not promising the king will even let you talk to him though."

The two of them made their way to the king's room and knocked on the door, but there was no answer. Next they tried the dining hall, where the majority of the party had taken place, but there were only servants (actual servants like William and Finnian), cleaning up the mess. Next was the study, but there was no luck there either.

As they briskly worked their way through the castle, Ciel looked at each person who passed by. Some people were disgraces, hardly able to walk on their own, while others held onto their dignity. But no matter what state each person was in, each and every face was completely unfamiliar. The king was not among the party guests. He was nowhere to be found.

"Where the hell did he go?" Ciel asked in exasperation. The two of them returned to Ciel's room and stopped outside the door.

"We can't search the whole castle. He could be in the garden, in the dungeon where the interrogating is taking place, anywhere. He could even be in the bathroom, sick from the alcohol."

"Fine. Tomorrow we'll try again. You'll have to escort him to me."

Charles glared at him now, a look that didn't suit him at all. "Watch what you say, kid. Just because I'm helping you doesn't mean you can give me orders. I'm a knight, and you're still a peasant."

"It wasn't an order," Ciel spat. "I thought the king told you to watch me. That would involve escorting me places."

"No, he didn't," Charles said. "I wanted to watch you. I thought you and Irene had something to do with the plan as well. Why else would that servant girl point you two out specifically?"

"The king favors the two of us," Ciel said, point blank.

"All the king told me to do was leave Irene alone and to escort you to your room instead of the dungeon."

"Oh," Ciel breathed. He wouldn't admit it, but he truly was grateful. He didn't even want to think about that filthy, rat-infested place.

"Go get some sleep. I'll come and get you early tomorrow, so there will be no lazing around or sleeping in."

With that, Charles turned away and headed back to his quarters. Ciel followed suit, closing the door behind him and flopping onto his bed. To say that the day wasn't eventful was a lie. To say that the day was successful was an even bigger lie.

Ciel forced himself out of bed at an early hour just as Sir Charles had told him to. When Ciel exited his room, there Charles was, looking like he had been standing there for ages. Was he even human? The two of them made their way to the king's chamber, where they proceeded to knock on the door. And wait for a response. And wait…

Ciel's rocked from heel to toe in anticipation. He wasn't nervous, but more han ready to speak his mind. His thoughts were well-organized and his mouth was ready for a rapid fire explanation if need be. He knew the king would be suspicious of him and ask him questions. He was prepared for it, having planned out his words carefully to make them sound as convincing as possible. He could only hope that Sebastian would listen to reason.

When there was still no answer, Ciel's heart sunk. He exchanged a worried glance with Charles, before the knight stepped forward and spoke.

"It's Sir Charles, Your Majesty. I'm here with Ciel, who has news for you concerning the feast last night."

Almost immediately, the door swung open and there stood Sebastian, glaring at the both of them. Ciel felt the blood rush to his face. Sebastian certainly didn't look like he was in the mood to listen to reason.

"Come in," Sebastian ordered, and turned around to walk back into his room without another word.

Ciel hesitated, but did as he was told, leaving Sir Charles alone outside. He stayed quiet for a moment and hoped the tension in his posture wasn't as noticeable as it felt.

"What is it?" Sebastian asked impatiently. He took a seat on his bed, eyeing the boy up and down.

"I came to tell you why Beatrice did what she did last night." When Sebastian didn't give a verbal reply, Ciel continued, "Are you aware of Beatrice's background?"

"She's a peasant from some small village," Sebastian said dryly.

Ciel scowled at him. He sat down beside the king and explained everything that he'd told Charles the previous night. All the while, Sebastian's face remained unchanged; indifferent, even.

"How do you know this?"

Unlike Sir Charles, Sebastian would probably be able to see through him. The massive amount of air that filled his lungs in preparation to what he was about to say made him dizzy. "Because I knew about the plan."

Ciel gave Sebastian time to react, mostly because he was curious. He was terrified of being thrown back into that hell, but he also wanted to know just how fast Sebastian would throw him back in there. But Sebastian's response was nothingness. He still looked unsurprised and uninterested.

"You knew," Sebastian said.

"I tried to talk Beatrice out of it, but she wouldn't listen to me. She asked me to participate, but I refused."

Luckily Sebastian seemed annoyed—whether it was at Beatrice or at him, he wasn't sure—but not angry. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I thought no one would believe them," Ciel admitted. It was partially true. Perhaps, if he'd known people would begin to doubt the king, he would have tried harder to convince her not to.

Sebastian scoffed. "After my advisor covered it up, no one believed them. But now the possibility has been engraved in their minds."

The peasant boy looked at the ground. "She's just like I was. A few months ago I probably would have done something similar."

Sebastian was suddenly very close to Ciel, their faces inches apart. The younger of the two blinked rapidly and instinctively leaned away. Sebastian's lips touched Ciel's ear and he whispered, "I knew about your plan the entire time. That's why I'm not angry."

Ciel's jaw dropped, but then it snapped shut again. He knew. The king knew that he had deceived him. He wasn't sure what to say. Was he supposed to apologize for lying straight to his face? Of course not. He had nothing to apologize for; not to this man. The boy recalled Sebastian's hurt expression after the incident. Maybe the king had hoped Ciel would choose to stay uninvolved in the end. Or maybe he was a damn good actor.

"That's why…" Sebastian began with a murmur. His lips moved from Ciel's ear to his jaw line. His hot breath ghosted over the skin there, and Ciel sighed. "…there are no marks here. Like you wanted."

He planted butterfly kisses down his neck, slowly…infuriatingly slow. "Or here." Next, he worked down to his collarbone and out, across his shoulder. "Or here."

Ciel's face was hot to the touch and the thumping in his chest was out of control. His hands sat clenched in his lap, his knuckles white. How could something so simple make his body go berserk? Especially after everything else they had already done.

Sebastian chuckled before he withdrew himself from Ciel's personal space. "You foolish boy. Remember that there are eyes and ears all over this castle."

The king's words left Ciel feeling entirely violated. At least it ruined the mood. Ciel imagined little beady eyes watching him, cackling at him from every dark crevice. King Sebastian was right. Even though Ciel hadn't seen anyone around when Beatrice first pulled him into that room, anyone could have been listening from anywhere. 'We should have been more careful…' Ciel thought.

"Fine," Ciel bit. "I was in on the plan at first. But if you knew all along, then you should know that I was not lying. I tried to convince her not to go through with the plan, but she wouldn't listen. You can't possibly blame me for that."

Sebastian seemed a bit put off by Ciel's candor. "You're right. Your backing out of the treachery is the only reason you're not in the dungeon with them right now. So why did you come here? To save yourself, or to save them? I can't just let them go after what they did. They'll endanger my throne."

"I knew you would say that. But that's not what I came here to say. There's another way to help her."

Sebastian hummed, his voice a rumbling bass note. He looked at Ciel questioningly, waiting for the words to be spoken.

"Take me to her village."

A/N: Let me know if you see any mistakes pls. or plot holes. or something