**Takes place after Black Butler: Book Of Circus. Contains spoilers. Warning: Also contains kidnapping and abuse.
***Prompt from Midnight Alchemist 8402
"I have a bad feeling about this my Lord," Sebastian stated, for about the tenth time since the Queen's men had shown up at the Phantomhive manor.
"Sebastian, I am sure if her majesty is requesting me to accompany them on my own, there is a reason..." Ciel sighed, even though the more times he said it, the less certain he felt. Why would the Queen care if his butler accompanied him to discuss the next case she wished for him to look into?
"Can we not at least see if they will allow May-Rin or Tanaka to accompany you?"
"Her Majesty has specifically requested I come alone, I shall respect her wishes," Ciel said, "I will see you when I return."
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He should have listened to Sebastian. Why hadn't he listened to his butler? It hadn't taken Ciel long to realize the route they were on did not lead to the palace.
"Where are we going?" he demanded.
"We have to stop and pick something up for Her Majesty on the way back," Phipps replied.
"We're headed away from all the shops," Ciel said, trying to maintain his normal bored indifference.
"Don't worry, Mr. Phantomhive, all is as it should be."
Ciel knew nothing good was going to come of this venture, nothing at all. He became even more certain when they arrived in front of a small, secluded house. The two Charles' opened the door, one stepping out and turning to face the carriage,
"Come with us, Earl Phantomhive," he said.
"Where are we?" Ciel demanded.
"Where her majesty asked us to bring you," Phipps said cryptically.
Ciel stepped down from the carriage, knowing if he didn't that Phipps and Grey would remove him forcefully. He was led into the small house, which was a single room with a chair situated in the middle and another beside the door.
"You plan to torture me," Ciel said, looking between his captors.
The other two men exchanged a look that made Ciel incredibly uneasy.
"Only if you make us," Grey said, "The Queen wishes us to gather some information from you."
"Her majesty knows I am more than happy to provide any information she desires. There are no need for these antics."
"She thought the same thing. Yet, we believe you have withheld information regarding those missing children."
"I told her majesty everything that happened," Ciel stated resolutely, images of the burning mansion flashing through his mind.
Phipps struck him across the face, "You're not being truthful. Your story does not add up. Lying to her majesty will be punished."
"Nothing about kidnapping and murdering children makes sense. I was sickened by the things I found, forgive me for not wanting to relive every gory detail."
This time it was Grey who struck him, "We believe you altered details, not withheld them. Those children were alive when you arrived, weren't they?"
"No!" Ciel exclaimed, just before being struck with a blow hard enough to send him to the floor.
Sebastian, I command you, help me! Ciel thought, hoping the command would somehow reach his butler, even though it was unspoken and there was considerable distance between them.
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Sebastian felt Ciel's summons and was at his master's side in the blink of an eye. The Charles' knew they were in trouble as soon as he flung the door to their little shack open.
"What are you..." the question was cut off by Sebastian's first strike, for he had already seen his master's condition, and therefor was seeing red.
He made quick work of disposing of the problem, before gathering Ciel up off the floor into his arms.
Ciel fluttered back into consciousness, his visible eye opening and finding Sebastian's red ones. Sebastian removed the patch covering the pentagram which marked Ciel as his.
"Rest, my lord. You will be in your bed in no time."
"Thank you, Sebastian. I should have listened."
"I am merely a servant, you are under no obligation to do so."
"You are more than a servant, Sebastian," Ciel argued, before falling back into unconciousness.
"A hero's gonna save me just in time." Skillet
