Chapter Twelve
Butler, On Ice. Bride, Ice Skating
Snow fell from the dark night sky in flowing chunks. The air was cold and crisp as the ice crunched loudly beneath the feet of the passers-by. The Thames was close to freezing over. A man ran along one side of the river, a gun clutched tightly in his hand. As his panting breaths came out in white puffs from his mouth, a trio of men were chasing after him.
"Run faster! We can't let him get away!" the leader shouted. "Tim knows how hard we worked to steal that thing! Let's go get it back!"
The man reached the London Bridge and looked down at the object he had clenched so painfully in his hand. A silver ring with an emerald cut blue jewel stared back at him, its depths flowed and twisted like rising smoke as he laughed manically.
"No one will have it. This is my ring now."
From behind him, someone spoke up.
"No. I don't think so," they said. "You do not deserve that ring."
They extended a hand and shot invisible strings from their fingers. Tangling around his wrists, ankles, and along his back, they tightened and begun to shed blood.
"The Hope Piece is in search of a worthy master, you see. You do not fit that description."
The strings tightened even further, shredding through the man's body. His dying screams rang through the London night as his bleeding body staggered and stumbled over the balustrade of the bridge and into the Thames below.
The trio of criminals watched what happened.
"He jumped off the bridge."
"That fool."
The following day, the Thames had completely frozen.
"Ladies and gentlemen, gather round! The Frost Fair hasn't happened in almost eighty years! Don't miss your chance!"
The Frost Fair was an event that could only happen when the Thames was the equivalent of an ice rink. Many stalls were set up in a manner similar to an Asian bazaar, the atmosphere was full to bursting with life.
"Impressive," said Sebastian. "The Frost Fair is certainly an apt title for it."
He, Ciel and Marianne were walking along the ice, bundled in their winter clothes. The demon had his long black coat on over his uniform with his black gloves. Marianne was the same, and had it paired with her black baker's cap on top of her wig. Ciel however wore a long dark blue cloak trimmed with white fur around the edge, and buckled under his chin with a brown leather belt. The boy was hunched in the shoulders as he walked, desperate to escape the cold.
"A large gathering held at the foot of the London Bridge when the Thames freezes over." Ciel explained.
They glanced over the festivities.
"From what I have been told, it hasn't been held for several decades now. Not since 1814 apparently."
Meanwhile, Elizabeth walked through the stalls, garbed in a pretty pink dress, coat and bonnet.
"My Lady, please!" cried a female voice. "Slow down a bit!"
Hurrying behind her mistress was Paula, a young woman with brown hair and eyes and wearing a burgundy dress, brown coat and flat black hat. She had served the Midford household for some years as a maid, and worked as Elizabeth's companion when the need arose.
"Careful," chastised Lizzie. "You're going to crack the ice if you keep stomping about like that."
The poor woman trembled as she tried to keep her steps light.
"Please understand, My Lady, if your parents knew we took a detour, they will be terribly angry. I will be in a lot of trouble."
Elizabeth gave a huff and turned away with her nose in the air.
"But Harrods and Liberty were utterly useless. They had nothing to offer."
She jumped on the ice for a moment, causing Paula a scare.
"I was just joking. It won't crack."
Paula then asked a pertinent question.
"Excuse me, My Lady, but there seems to be something specific you've been searching for. Might I ask what?"
The girl blushed under her earnest brown gaze.
"Something special. I need a present for Ciel. It's almost his birthday, and I need to find him the perfect present, so he will be happy," she said. "I mean very, very happy!"
The maid became very starry-eyed at her declaration.
"Oh My Lady Elizabeth! That is absolutely adorable!" she cried as she clasped her mistress' hands in hers. "I understand now. You have my word. I pledge to help you in whatever way I can in this endeavour."
Lizzie smiled.
"Thanks Paula. How sweet."
Surveying the scene from the top of the London Bridge were the criminals from the previous night.
"Well?" asked the leader. "Any word on Tim?"
"They found his body in the ice. It appears the ring wasn't on him," replied one of his subordinates.
"Which means only one thing."
"Aye. The ring is in the Thames."
As the trio walked past one of the stalls, the vendor cried out to drum up business.
"Step on up, ladies and gents! I've got offers that would blow even Jack Frost away! Pick something for someone special!"
Ciel smirked.
"Is there something amusing?" asked Sebastian.
"Those goods look all of dubious quality." Ciel explained. "Funtom should set up a stall. Any of our products would be better than what that vendor is selling."
Marianne tapped his shoulder.
"While your pride is warranted, it is wise to keep it under regulation," she advised.
"…You've been reading that Austen woman's works again, haven't you?"
"Doesn't make the advice any less wise."
"Still, the products are of inferior quality," he pointed to a toy ark sat on one of the shelves with his cane. "Like that one there."
The vendor turned to him in eager anticipation.
"Ah, hello there, noble lad!" he said. "You have a good eye. That piece is one of a kind. It was manufactured by the Funtom Toy Company years ago. Back when it was still only a small craft studio."
Ciel was quick to shoot him down.
"No. That is a blatant fake. The Funtom Arks are rare, only three were ever made. My father employed the talent of an artist incredibly skilled in his craft. Since our estate burned down, even we no longer possess one. One most certainly wouldn't end up here."
Sebastian then said something most surprising.
"Noah's Ark. It reminds me of this country."
"Why is that?" Marianne asked.
"Think about it, a boat captained by a single person. One filled only with the select few who have been chosen to be saved. Rather arrogant, don't you think?" said the demon.
He then gave her and Ciel a shit eating smile. She arched a brow and smiled back at him.
"Wouldn't it be a waste not to take advantage of the weather and go ice skating on the river? I haven't been ice skating since I was a child."
Ciel rolled his eyes.
"You just want to play, don't you?"
"Just a bit of fun on a day out."
Just then, they were interrupted by the appearance of Aberline.
"Is that?
"A Scotland Yard Inspector has time to attend the Fair. London must be very peaceful, today anyway." Ciel taunted with a smirk on his face.
Aberline became annoyed.
"Of course not, I'm on duty right now!" he snapped.
"Oh? Well then, I'll leave you to earn your wages in faithful service to the Queen and country." Ciel sneered. "Good day, Inspector."
The party of three turned and begun to walk away.
"Wait!" Aberline yelled. "Come back! I have some questions to ask you! Ciel!"
He reached out to grab Ciel's shoulder, but was intercepted by Marianne, who used her body as a blockade, while Sebastian swatted the extended hand.
"Pardon us, our Master is a touch fragile at the moment," explained the demon. "I mean sensitive."
Ciel scowled at those words. The girl could only squeeze his shoulders in reassurance.
"Perhaps you can be a trifle gentler when you are approaching him." Sebastian said.
"That sounds about right in most cases with Scotland Yard when they want to ask questions." Marianne added.
The Inspector could only frown.
They went to an Asian café stall and sat down for tea. Ciel took a sip from his cup while staring at Aberline sat opposite him.
"Now, what is an Inspector from the Yard doing here?" asked Ciel.
The man looked at him in surprise.
"What is your business, Aberline?"
There was a pause before the Inspector spoke.
"Murder." He took a breath before continuing. "A man's corpse was found this morning, trapped in the ice on the Thames. We learned he was a member of a certain criminal organisation. I'm here because Scotland Yard wants to hunt down that man's killer, and we also want to recover a ring that he stole. A blue diamond, one supposedly worth about £2000."
Just then a voice broke into their conversation.
"The diamond, the ultimate symbol of eternal radiance. A stone that bewitches all those who see its sparkle. What man wouldn't be inspired to pursue such an exquisite prize, even knowing all that awaits him? Total destruction."
Lau sat at their table with a smile on his face. Aberline immediately sprung to his feet.
"Impossible! How do you know about the Hope Piece?"
That name instantly caught Ciel's attention.
"You're after the Hope Piece?" he asked.
Lau, having wrapped himself around the nonchalant Ran Mao, only smiled.
"Oh? Interesting. Such a gemstone really does exist? Oh my."
Poor Aberline sweatdropped, and Ciel groaned.
"What? Hold on! You were saying?"
"It's better to ignore him. He's blathering," said Ciel. "Anyway Lau, what are you doing here?"
"I own this place, My Lord. Nice, eh?" Lau smiled.
"…Yes, of course you do."
The boy turned back to Aberline while Lau continued to speak.
"This Hope Piece you are talking about is fascinating, My Lord. Perhaps you could tell me more about it?"
Ciel looked at him in surprise.
"Have you never heard of it?" he asked. "A blue gem known as the Hope Diamond, named after the man whose collection it was a part of: Henry Phillip Hope."
"Don't know it."
"It passed to Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. We know how they ended. The Diamond is said to be a cursed stone that brings ruin to all those who possess it. At one point, it was stolen and cut into smaller pieces to disguise it. Rumour has it that two such pieces still exist." Ciel explained.
His finger ran over the blue stone sat on his thumb.
"Those shards of diamond would certainly be valuable. So tell me, Aberline, is that what you're searching for?"
Aberline bowed his head.
"The Diamond was being moved as evidence. Its carriage was attacked. It was stolen."
Ciel smirked.
"Intriguing. Give me details. I would like to lend you a hand in this case." His eyes darkened as his smile widened. "Of course, I can't force you. But then, if you do decide to refuse me, I can see to it that Sir Arthur may find himself in an awkward position."
The boy's threat was clear.
"How did you manage to sneak us away for this?" Marianne asked as she tied her skates to her feet.
Sebastian slid across the ice without flourish, calm and collected as he skated backwards and avoiding the other skaters without looking.
"The Young Master was distracted by the Inspector. He never made an order that said I couldn't partake in this old pastime. I believe in the Middle Ages the peasants would joust on the Thames when it froze over using a rather crude form of ice skates," the demon explained. "It never ceases to amaze me what lengths humans will go in search of an ease to their perpetual boredom."
She shook her head as she clambered unsteadily to her feet and skated over to him. He took her hand in his and they skated together, side by side, completely unnoticed by the many other ice skaters around them.
Paula leaned over the table of the latest stall she stopped at.
"Ooh! Look at these!" she gasped. "Aren't they simply wonderful?"
Lizzie looked up and saw her maid holding up a pair of sleigh bells.
"No! Those won't do at all!" she snapped.
"Oh? You don't think so?" Paula smiled. "I thought they would be an adorable gift. Jingle, jingle!"
She shook the bells with a smile. Elizabeth scowled in irritation.
"You don't understand at all, Paula!" she shouted. "Very well, I'll search on my own!"
The maid hurried after her mistress, bells still in her hands.
"Please Lady Elizabeth, give me another chance!"
As they walked past the stalls, a man with orange hair and bright purple eyes walked by them playing a large music box that sung the tune 'London Bridge is falling down'. Under his eye was a blue fleur-du-lis while his lids were dusted with pink and blue eyeshadow. He wore an elaborate blue coat and a tall black top hat decorated with dark grey feathers.
"Lady Elizabeth!" Paula cried.
They did not see the man as his head turned all the way around and stared at them as they hurried away, a smirk on his white face.
Meanwhile, Ciel was unamused by the sight before him. With Sebastian and Marianne at his side, he turned to Aberline.
"Are you sure this is the right place?" he asked.
"Yes, it is. He set up shop here because people have been freezing to death during the Frost Fair," explained the Inspector.
Lau, who had joined them, was more than ready to protest.
"Inspector, you can't be serious. Not him."
They were all standing outside the shop set up by the Undertaker, which didn't look all that different from his funeral parlour on the London street.
"Yes, him." Aberline snapped. "And you lot can all wait right here outside and you are lucky I let you accompany me at all."
He fell through the door, which turned out to be the flap of a tent.
Ciel shook his head.
"What a hopeless foul."
"One of the privileges of youth, My Lord." Lau said. "So what is this place?"
Marianne facepalmed while the boy growled at him.
"It's Undertaker's parlour! You met him during the Jack the Ripper case, remember?"
"It's where you told that terrible joke," pointed out Marianne.
"Oh right!"
Ciel sighed heavily.
"Aberline won't last one minute in there. Sebastian, you-!"
He was interrupted by the explosive, earthshattering laughter of Undertaker, to the point of the sign completely falling off the stall.
"Bloody Jesus… What did he do?" Marianne asked.
They stepped inside one by one and saw Undertaker doubled over in hysterics, and Aberline just looking greatly confused, and rather disturbed. Undertaker finally righted himself and gave a creepy smile.
"I assure you, man, you are in the wrong profession. That was hysterical. You could be a world renowned comedian," he laughed.
Ciel looked at the Inspector.
"What did you say to him?" he asked.
"I have no idea," answered Aberline. "I was just talking to him normally. He began laughing like a mad man."
"Every time I see him I'm questioning his sanity." Marianne muttered.
The boy scowled.
"How unexpected. You aren't without talent."
Sebastian then spoke up, his face dark and his eyes glowing.
"It seems you are a man to be reckoned with. Most interesting."
Aberline was more than a little terrified.
"But I didn't do anything!" he protested, raising his hands defensively.
The girl glanced back and forth between the two men.
O-oh… Choking on testosterone here… She thought.
Just then, Ciel slammed his hands down onto the desk.
"Tell me more about the ring! I want to know it all! The man you pulled out of the river was the last to have it!" he bellowed.
Undertaker sniggered.
"Perhaps it was frozen in the ice where the body was found." Aberline suggested. "You are a citizen of our great country, Mr Undertaker. Please, give us your help in this matter."
The mortician merely smirked.
"As I said before, I'm profoundly impressed with you, Inspector. I'll tell you everything," he smiled. "Where is the ring you ask?"
He took them to the spot directly beneath the London Bridge, where an ice statue of Queen Victoria presided.
"You see? Right there," said Undertaker as he pointed at the ice sculpture's hands.
On the middle finger of her right hand, the Hope Diamond shone gloomily back at them.
Aberline was in shock, reminiscent of Edvard Munch's painting 'The Scream'. Lau smiled.
"It appears a sculptor must have happened upon the ring and then designed a beautiful ice sculpture to compliment it. Our mystery has been solved."
The Inspector managed to shake himself out of his shock and ordered his fellow officers to seize the ring.
But they were stopped by some severe looking officials.
"Stop, you thieves!"
The trio then caught sight of the white coated Viscount Druitt, who smiled at them in his usual seductive manner.
"That dear lady will be awarded to the contest's victor," he said. He then kissed the white rose in his hand. "You wouldn't want to defile her, would you?"
Both Ciel and Marianne went slack jawed.
"Viscount Druitt?!" they gasped.
There was a moment of silence before Ciel spoke again.
"They're holding some contest… Why is he a judge?"
Lau nodded in agreement.
"Yes, wasn't he arrested for human trafficking? What a naughty man."
"He was released a few days ago." Aberline growled.
"Must have paid well," snorted Ciel.
Marianne pinched the bridge of her nose, a furrow forming in the centre of her brow.
"What is wrong with these people?!" she hissed under her breath.
Sebastian leant down to whisper in her ear.
"There are many things wrong with humanity."
Shaking his head, the Inspector stepped forward and tried to reason with the judges.
"Excuse me, but this statue is now under the jurisdiction of Scotland Yard."
The head judge, an elderly man with a long white beard and small glasses balanced on the end of his nose, was swift in shooting him down.
"I don't care if you are with Scotland Yard, Sir! The Frost Fair is an event for our citizens! I will not let you disrupt it!"
Druitt then went up and presented himself before the ice sculpture.
"Just look at her beauty!" he gasped. "Such an exquisitely noble lady. We could never allow her to be violated by anybody."
A vein mark pulsed on Ciel's head.
"You're one to talk."
Druitt carried on as if he hadn't heard anything.
"If you insist on possessing this lady, you should offer something of equal beauty."
The head judge smiled.
"A well-spoken pronouncement from a true lover of art and beauty." He then pointed to the opposing party. "As he says, if you want this statue, win the contest."
The young earl smirked.
"There's merit to your argument. The ring belongs to whomever wins the contest. Nice and simple."
Aberline looked confused.
"Really, Ciel?"
"Don't worry, Inspector. I'll get the ring." Ciel said.
"But it's stolen property!" cried the man. "Not to mention it's our key evidence in serial kidnappings of young girl-oh!"
He stopped himself when he realised he was about to say more than he meant to. This only made the boy's smirk grow even wider.
"I see. That's why the Yard is so frantic to find it."
"The legend is true!" protested Aberline. "Every person who has owned the ring has met a horrible end! It's a cursed stone, and you'd still try to win it?"
A dark smile touched Ciel's lips, his sapphire eye glinted in the shadow of his hood.
"Cursed, eh?" he said, bringing the blue stone on his thumb to his line of sight. "Then it sounds like the perfect ring for me."
Undertaker smiled.
"Come to think of it, isn't that family ring you wear set with a pretty blue stone as well, Lord?"
"Yes."
"Perhaps you should be careful. Diamonds are quite hard. Because they're hard, they're also brittle. If you go too far, you'll be shattered as well."
Marianne shuddered at Undertaker's warning, pressing her hands to Ciel's shoulders as though to flood her protection and care into his smaller body. Ciel patted her hand absently.
"I'm not concerned," he said, looking down to his ring with a sinister smile. "My body, along with my family ring, both have already shattered and been reborn. I've been through too much to worry about that anymore."
Sebastian's lips curled at those words as his gloved hand rested on the small of Marianne's back, caressing the mark underneath his fingertips.
Ciel turned to the demon and gave his order.
"Win the contest. That's an order."
Sebastian bowed with all his demonic grace.
"Indeed, Young Master."
Meanwhile, the criminals observed the statue from a distance, where it was guarded by a couple of men from Scotland Yard.
"It's settled then. Go fill out an entry form," said the leader.
"Seriously?!"
"You an Irish man, or aren't you? We know more than the bloody English about ice and snow!"
"Right!"
The leader then pointed to some barrels of explosives behind him.
"And if all else should fail…"
At the contest, the announcer begun his dramatic introduction.
"Welcome one and all to the Thames Frost Fair! Now it is time for the traditional ice sculpture contest! You have until three pm, alright? You may begin sculpting!"
Paula jingled her bells.
"Oh my! Lady Elizabeth, look! Something's happening over there!" she cried happily.
Her charge ignored her as she searched for the perfect gift.
"It sounds exciting!"
Elizabeth's eyes only drooped sadly.
Ciel…
She remembered what she did to his ring all those months ago, how she had destroyed a family heirloom that was so precious to him… She had hurt him so cruelly…
I'm sorry, Ciel… I'm so sorry…
Lizzie then put on a determined face.
But I'll make it up to you! I'll find you an amazing present!
At the stall in front of her, she spotted the toy ark, reminding her so much of the one from her and Ciel's childhood, when his smile was always bright and shining on his face and his voice was filled with laughter.
"That ark… I want it!"
Big Ben chimed three times, signalling the end of the time the contestants had. The announcer stood on the stage.
"And now, the judging shall commence!" he declared. "First up, we have Scotland Yard and its Merry Men with their sculpture, Guardian of London!"
Their statue was an accurate representation of Sir Randall. While it seemed well-done, the judges weren't impressed.
"1, 2, 1, 1, 0! A total of five points!"
The head of the sculpture then fell off.
"Next team, whose team name is 'All Women's Dresses should be Tiny', and their entry!"
This was Lau's entry, which was Ran Mao completely exposed. This resulted in two men holding up white banners with a black 'X' on them to cover up the areas that shouldn't be exposed, with vibrant blushes on their faces.
"For obvious reasons, this sculpture has been disqualified."
Lau frowned in confusion.
"But why?"
Marianne had to physically restrain Ciel because it looked like he was about to explode.
"Why?! How could you think that was proper to display?!" he bellowed.
"You know, when they hide bits like that, I think it only makes it more erotic."
The girl breathed a sigh, but could, much to her dismay, accept his reasoning, since Sebastian had her posing like a pin-up model for their photoshoot together. Now that she thought about it, she never did get to see the pictures…
Four of the judges held up 'X's on their point cards, but Druitt only smiled and held up a '10'.
Ciel looked up at Sebastian, who had joined him and Marianne at their side.
"Make sure to win this. You can, right?" he said.
"Of course I can," assured Sebastian. "You explicitly ordered me to do so. And I exist only to fulfil your orders, My Lord."
The announcer continued.
"And next, from the team known as 'Queen's Puppy', we have 'The Ark of Noah'!"
The sculpture was hidden behind a curtain, which dropped to reveal an enormous ark on a pedestal crafted like a wave of water. The crowd gave their exclamations of amazement and awe. The judges were equally impressed.
"What a sculpture! I've never seen it's like! That is art in its highest form!"
The announcer however, wasn't finished.
"What an amazing piece! Let us see the total scores."
Sebastian, with all his eloquence, spoke up.
"One moment." He smiled. "My apologies, but you haven't seen all of the sculpture yet."
He snapped his fingers, which reverberated against the ice of the ark. The upper half of the ark cracked in two and revealed a tower of animals within the confines of the boat.
"They look like real animals!"
The head judge was most impressed.
"Brilliant! He deliberately made the seam of the roof weak so it would melt and fall apart in time."
Druitt was in complete awe.
"Our ancestor, the brave man who stood fearlessly against the flood of God's wrath, Noah! He is depicted here with the pairs of animals he was ordered to rescue, awaiting rebirth from the sea!" he proclaimed.
Marianne arched a brow.
"I'm surprised such an immoral man actually knows the Bible," she whispered.
Ciel snorted at that.
The head judge then continued to speak.
"Astounding work, young man. It's high art. I declare you an ice sculptor of the highest calibre."
Sebastian smirked.
"No, Sir. You are too kind. I am simply one hell of a butler."
The Irish gang were in trouble. Their ice sculpture was clearly no match for the demon's creation.
"So, I don't think we're going to beat that."
The leader clenched his fist.
"Damn!" he snarled. "Then onto Plan B."
"Is everyone ready for the final scores?" cried the announcer.
A shout stopped the man in his tracks.
"Hold it right there!"
The gang leader stood by the ice statue with a gun in his hand.
"Sorry to break up the party, but this ring is ours! We're taking what belongs to us!"
Aberline snapped to attention.
"Hold on!" he cried. "That means you're the-!"
"That's right! We're the team of thieves all of London has been talking about! Maybe you recognise these?"
The leader opened his jacket and exposed the belt of explosives around his torso. His compatriots booted one of the barrels over and revealed the unlit explosives, waiting to be blown. Creating a flame with his lighter, the leader looked at them all with a sneer.
"You have ten seconds. Anyone who doesn't want to die should get the Hell out of here."
He then began the countdown.
Most of the crowd ran away as quickly as they could.
Sebastian looked to his Young Master.
"Master?"
Ciel merely stared at the criminals, Marianne's hands on his shoulders.
"My orders remain the same. Do it now, Sebastian."
The demon bowed.
"Indeed, Young Master."
He then looked at his mate.
"I trust you will take care of the Master."
The girl nodded her head.
"Of course."
Aberline was assisting the crowd in their escape when he noticed Ciel and Marianne still on the ice.
"What are you doing?" he asked. "Hurry up! We need to get out of here!"
The boy merely arched an eyebrow.
"You can go if you want to. Don't worry, we'll be fine," he said, waving off the man's concerns.
"I can't leave you here!" Aberline shouted.
This caught Ciel greatly by surprise.
"I joined Scotland Yard to protect our citizens! That includes noblemen like you, Ciel!"
The officer then began to run.
Ciel rolled his eye and glanced up at his caretaker.
"What a fool."
His breath hitched when he saw the sadness in Marianne's eyes at his words.
"Did you think the same of me when I tried to help you when we first met?" she asked, her clothed fingers stroking the swell of his cold cheek.
He sighed.
"Never. You were always different. You became a part of my life in a way I never expected. You filled a void I never dreamed could be filled again, and became someone I never knew I wanted."
Marianne brushed his hair out of his face, her head tilted to the side.
"And what am I?"
"You became a mother and sister in one fell swoop."
A smile pulled at the corner of her mouth.
As Aberline was running, the leader shot his gun in front of his feet.
"Don't come any closer, Inspector."
The leader then turned the gun to Ciel and Marianne. Marianne stepped between them, using her own body as a shield between any potential bullets he decided to release.
"You only have three seconds left. Sweet boys like you two, shouldn't you be running away?"
Ciel scowled.
"I see no need for that." A smirk spread across his face. "Look behind you."
Sebastian, on ice skates, kicked the gun out of his hand. The criminals shot at him, only for the demon to avoid them with grace and finesse. His skills could have easily put the most talented figure skater to shame.
"Impossible! We spun four whole times in the air!"
Druitt was truly in awe, and lost in a fantasy.
"A noble swan flying through a world of silvery white snow. Lured by that devilish smile, the maiden is enfolded in those midnight black wings."
Ciel and Marianne shuddered at the image he described, since he could have been talking about either of them in their disguises that night. Sebastian swiped the two accomplices and knocked them to the ground.
"A perfect score!" cried the announcer.
Ciel glanced up at the girl.
"Not the ice skating you imagined?" he teased.
She shrugged her shoulders.
"I got my share earlier." She then caught sight of the gang leader throwing a lit explosive at them. "Look out!"
Marianne gathered him in her arms as best she could, and the two of them found themselves swept up by Sebastian, who held them up in the air and made them fly as if they were birds.
One explosion occurred after another, destroying the ice piece by shattering piece. The other criminals begged their leader to stop.
"Have you forgotten?! We're standing on top of ice!"
The ice cracked further beneath their feet. Ciel gasped out loud when he saw what was happening.
"Sebastian!"
The demon held Marianne against him with one arm while he spun the boy in the air rapidly with the other. He then let go.
"Do you trust me, Marianne?" he asked.
She looked up at him.
"With my very life and soul."
He did the same to her as he did to Ciel.
The ice shattered almost completely. From the embankment, the crowd searched desperately for the trio.
"Where is he?" asked Aberline.
Lau smiled.
"My Lord, as stubborn as ever."
As the steam cleared, they could see Ciel, Sebastian and Marianne standing on the deck of the ice ark, which floated easily in the midst of the river.
"The ship sails on!" Druitt cried. "Leaving human despair behind. The ship sails on, carrying the future of the world. The ship sails on, despite the raging flood of icy waters seeking to drown it. The ship sails on!"
The head judge nodded his head with tears in his eyes.
"It's the ark! Truly a recreation of the noble ark! We've seen a miracle on the Thames!"
On the ice boat, Ciel endeavoured to look dignified when he asked his question.
"Was tossing me about really necessary?"
Marianne giggled quietly while Sebastian smirked.
"My apologies, Sir, but we did have an audience after all. I thought it might add a bit of flair to the show," he answered.
The girl fixed her mussed hair and smiled.
"It's all a performance with you, isn't it?" she teased.
As they spoke, Ciel stared over the side.
"The Hope Diamond will sleep safely at the bottom of the Thames. Not a bad end."
"Won't it curse all of London now?" Sebastian asked.
"Somehow I doubt that will happen," disagreed Ciel. "Besides, if a ring can destroy the city, it wasn't meant to survive."
He glanced down at his ring.
"After all, we Phantomhives have lived on."
Marianne shook her head.
"Don't speak too soon. I get the feeling that things have only just begun. And people are determined by nature in their need to survive and thrive. It takes a lot for someone to be pushed so far they would allow themselves to surrender to death."
The topic then changed when they all caught sight of Aberline helping people out of the water.
"Tell me something," said Ciel. "Earlier you accused Noah of being arrogant. But he was only trying to save a few people. Wouldn't the desire to protect everyone be even more arrogant?"
"Yes, it would seem so." Sebastian agreed.
"Ah well, an arrogant fool like that now and then might not be so bad."
Marianne nodded her head and turned her eyes up to the sky.
"Aberline is a good man, I agree. But the arrogance of Noah was only created because God deemed it necessary to single out one man to bring about a new beginning for the world, and allowing his arrogance to kill the rest. It can only be said that God is the most arrogant fool of all."
Sebastian smirked at her words and drew her to his side, hand pressed firmly down on her mark.
Meanwhile, Aberline watched them from the bank.
"Ciel… Who exactly are you?" he asked himself.
Elizabeth stared at the gift, the toy ark, and tossed it to the floor. Tears trickled down her cheeks. Paula, shocked by her mistress' behaviour spoke up.
"My lady, what's the matter?" she asked.
"My father…" the girl whimpered. "He said this was obviously a fake. It's awful! I thought… I thought I found something to make Ciel happy."
Paula came over to Lizzie's side.
"I'm so sorry. Please cheer up. I have just the thing!"
She brought out her bells with a smile.
"Leave me alone!" shouted Elizabeth, her voice thick with her sobs.
Paula left the room and Elizabeth slumped down to her knees.
"Ciel…" she whispered. "I'm sorry… I just wanted to give you a wonderful gift…"
She then spotted something. A ring on a gold band with a brilliantly dark blue stone in its centre. Its depths swirled ominously between her fingers.
"So I thought to myself, why not let the Hope Diamond find a new owner on its own. Aye… Master…?"
The brightly dressed man bowed formally as he said those words, jolting as his joints moved awkwardly into place. The room he stood in was overcome with shadows and darkness as a lone chair stood facing away from him. In the chair, a man wearing black gloves hummed a simple tune.
London Bridge is falling down
Falling down
Falling down
London Bridge is falling down
My fair lady
So Ciel has all but officially adopted Marianne as his sister and mother. The relationship between them and Sebastian is something I have always seen as a family unit, I only hope I managed to portray it.
Should you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask.
Please read and review!