WARNING: SOME OF THE FOLLOWING EVENTS MAY BE GRAPHIC AND MAY MAKE THE READER UNCOMFORTABLE. Please be advised.
Narrator's POV:
The wind was calm, too calm. Eerily so, but Lizzy insisted she and Ciel take the twins out for a stroll. Luckily, she thought walking around the grounds of the Phantomhives was sufficient. Josephine and Jasper rather enjoyed their time in the sun, giggling and waving their hands at passing insects, leaves, dandelions, and flower petals. It was spring and Ciel's asthma seemed somewhat aggravated. Lizzy told him not to force himself into anything that would weaken his health. She also elbowed him and said she needed him to be healthy enough in order to help her take care of the twins, and fill her evenings with bliss. But she managed to acquire a special tea in order to prevent any further pregnancies from happening for a while.
"I think, I think I need a minute." Lizzy took out her fan and began to move her wrist rather rapidly. She was flushed and had beads of sweat dripping from her hairline down her jaw.
"Here, Lizzy, sit." Ciel managed to find a bench nearby.
"I'll just, be a minute." She breathed, cursing the corset that her maids insisted she wear now that the twins were on the bottle.
"Take as long as you like. Sebastian packed us a picnic and I think there's a blanket here. Look, there's some shade over there. I'll take Josephine and Jasper and we'll be waiting for you." Ciel smiled at her earnestly, though worry filled his eyes. Lizzy was never quite the same after giving birth. Her once boundless energetic vivaciousness seemed more tame. But motherhood suited her. She dotted on the twins, and still managed to dote on Ciel. There was something magical about being a parent. Something magical that connected the two. They brought life into this world and together they were putting in their best efforts to nurture and care for their children. Ciel hated to think about the serial kidnapper. He'd wondered if Sebastian, Caterina, and Angel had discovered anything about the owner of the ring with the mysterious crest was unfamiliar to Ciel. Even the Undertaker shrugged, stating he'd never seen it before. They were running out of time. Everyone was panicked, and rightfully so. Parents refused to let their children out of sight, some even choosing to keep their children home rather than attend school. Others paid bodyguards to walk their children to and from school. Ciel hated that even the Queen was unable to deescalate the situation, or provide helpful information to find who was behind all this. Ciel's mind whirled and whirled, then looking to his children, to his wife. He knew he'd fight heaven, hell, earth, and everything in-between to keep them safe.
"Ciel, darling, I don't suppose there's any tea?" Lizzy inquired. She was still fanning herself, but more so in a way to appear demure rather than flushed.
"I'll ask Mey-Rin." Ciel stood and walked just a few steps away, where Mey-Rin was waiting off on the side. She agreed to get the afternoon tea. But, as luck would have it, her glasses were broken and she nearly stumbled into the nearby pond. Ciel grumbled and decided to help her. Lizzy was playing with the twins. Tanaka and Bard were in the kitchen, Finnian was on the other side of the property trimming hedges. The sun was at its peak, insects were chirping and buzzing away. The smell of freshly cut grass and roses swirled around them. It was a peaceful sight. Lizzy felt her rather light-headed. She laid down for a moment, watching her twins playing with the toys Ciel had brought. As Lizzy's eyelids grew heavy, she felt herself drifting, reality slipping through her fingers. Soft footsteps approached before a grunting noise. Lizzy tried to open her eyes, but she wasn't able. Then she heard the terrible half-scream from Ciel. Lizzy sat up, too quickly, and nearly fell back. Then she looked and realized in horror that Josephine and Jasper were missing. A blood-curdling scream escaped her lips, her heart breaking. Ciel ran up to her and began asking what happened to the twins. Unable to speak, Lizzy began trembling, then shaking her head, as if she say she didn't know. Ciel called out for Sebastian, both he and Caterina appeared. They were forlorn and swore they'd find the culprit. Apparently the Undertaker had one tiny clue on a fresh body found down an alley. The victim wore a ring with the same crest of a cross and eagle wings, as if the wings themselves spirited the children away to someplace unknown.