"I can't stand this weather."
The sun shone oppressive rays down upon the port side inlet, casting a kaleidoscope of colors on the surface of the water that appeared to sparkle under the intense light. The air was crisp, still holding a chilling bite from the passing spring season, but not enough to overpower the heat of the sun beating down upon them. His comment earned him a quirked eyebrow and a crooked smile filled with amusement and sarcasm; a smile that was used to such complaints and simply brushed it aside.
"You say this every time, you know," The young teenager said as they weaved through the crowds, steps careful and quick. "Besides, we're not going to be able to do this for much longer. Might as well enjoy it while we can." His words only earned a huff in response as he knew just as well they were using borrowed time. Once winter hit, signaling their shared birthday and coming of age ceremony, the world would become familiar with their faces, and no longer would slipping out of the palace to frolic the streets like ordinary teenagers be an option.
The passersby were too absorbed in their routines to even notice the passing twins were the future of the empire they lived in: the sons of the most powerful man in the entire world. Their father was the king of the empire and acting commander. He was a man whose cunning and charisma won the trust of many and terrified the rest into submission. The port side town, the castle just visible in the far distance, the vendors, and even the ocean gleaming under the light of the sun, all of it belonged to the Phantomhive Empire.
It was for that reason the two boys were never allowed to leave the palace on their own and their upbringing was one of silver spoons and isolation. They had each other and rarely left each other's side but that too would change on their sixteenth birthday in just a few short months. As crown prince, the elder twin would be constricted to a more tedious and arduous schedule to prepare him for the day the weight of the heavy crown was passed on. He often saw himself as the spare; the extra pieces his perfectionist twin didn't need to shine as he already did that on his own. He was just as sharp and charismatic as their father and his lopsided smirk was already charming the hearts of many as they grew older. But he too was dazzled by the brilliant light he cast; a light that drew people to him like moths desperately chasing a flickering flame. Too dazzled to find himself jealous.
He chose to ignore the incoming reality of their future and decided to cling to the last few droplets of sand falling through their hourglass. Their days of sneaking from the safe confines of the palace were drawing closer to an end. "Did you find the correct tea shop?" He asked instead, breaking the quiet but comfortable silence stretched between them.
His older brother gave a brief nod, fishing out a folded square of paper from his breast pocket. "It should be at the end of this corner if the intel from the servants is correct. This is the last shop in the port so let's hope we'll get lucky." The prince gave another huff, never one for optimism, but stayed quiet as they drew near a row of shops only streets away from the ocean. Their trips to the port were often like this; walking through crowds and exploring shops and businesses until the sun began to set. It was ordinary and perhaps a little boring but a lovely reprieve to the two who lived their lives under constant surveillance and protection. Their caretaker often created opportunities for them to slip away when their father was away for business but those moments were still far and few in between. He refused to admit how easier it was to breathe the ocean breeze than the stifling air of the palace.
A small shop with seaweed color tiles, worn and chipping from age, was settled on the end of the street. Herbal Sea was written in the center of a large sign in letters that swirled like waves. The terrible name earned a scoff from the teenager which consequently made his twin laugh. "Are you coming inside?" Deep sapphire eyes glanced back at his brother as he folded his arms and leaned against the side of the building.
"I feel a migraine coming on already. Just hurry up; I'll wait outside."
"From the tea or the people?" He teased back which only earned him a scowl in response. "I'll be right back. Be a good boy and wait for your older brother to finish, okay?" The deepened scowl on his brother's lips only earned him another laugh before he slipped through the door of the store.
"He's infuriating," he mumbled under his breath, bluntly ignoring the lilt of affection that leaked into his voice against his will. Now alone, he let his gaze sweep out to the masses of people walking in a rhythmic tandem that came from an everyday routine. He was never one to enjoy the company of others, servants in the palace that walked around him with nerves didn't quite count as normal interactions, and the only actual friend he had was his brother. His tongue was sharp, his words blunt, and he rarely held anything back. He certainly didn't inherit the charisma from his father as his brother did and he left meaningless chatter to him instead when they went on outings like this. He didn't care to let people get close to him; not when it felt like his heart was encased in a block of ice that couldn't be thawed.
Women in linen skirts passed, hands filled with baskets of fruits and bread from the bakery, the ocean breeze fanning out the hems like runaway parasols. Men traveled with large cargo, back and forth from the port to shops with hands dripping in sweat and sunburnt foreheads. Children ran back and forth between the uneven cobblestone streets, ducking between their mothers' legs for shade before diving back into the sun. There was something peculiar watching the ordinary folks that he couldn't exactly describe as interesting but he never was one to be honest. Reading people came second nature to him, something that initially stemmed from his deep distaste for being lied to, and he could often predict their actions before they happened.
His single visible eye, the other hidden behind a black eyepatch tied carefully around the back of his head, focused on a woman rifling through her baskets of goods with growing concern. 'She forgot something from the market for dinner tonight. She'll turn back and return for it,' he thought dismissively and didn't bat a single lash when she did just that and circled down the opposite side of the road. His gaze slid to a trio of men lingering near the outskirts of an alleyway, locked in what he can assume is lackluster conversation. 'They're trying to convince each other they have the time to stop for a drink without their wives noticing,' He found his eyes rolling as the group let out a hearty laugh and turned towards the pub at the end of the street. People were so terribly predictable. He never found himself wrong or questioned whether his predictions would prove right. There was no challenge in a one-sided chess game and he found himself in a lackluster match that never seemed to end.
"Oh my, you're just waiting out in the open for me, are you? Certainly makes my job easier. You have my thanks~" A voice that was just as flirtatious as it was patronizing washed over him like cold rain. There was no time to react; not when the frigid point of a blade pressed into the soft of his neck. "Don't even try anything stupid. I'm not in the mood to ruin my new outfit." A soft hand reached out to caress his face, causing him to immediately recoil with disgust. His actions earned him a laugh, one that was airy but taking pleasure in his discomfort. The wrist of said hand was dabbed in some sickly sweet perfume, the scent trapping in his nose before the world began to blur in front of him. His limbs grew heavy and lethargic before he found himself slipping to his knees. The cruel cadence of his attacker's voice was the last thing he heard as his mind succumbed to the unconscious world.
—-
"This doesn't exactly look like a man to me, Alois," Said a raven-haired man dressed head to toe in black. His deep voice was etched in amusement and he didn't seem to be bothered by the mix-up. "I said the target was a man with an eyepatch. This child doesn't exactly seem like a man to me."
There was a blonde leaning against the edge of a ship as the raven-haired man stood by the helm. "Man, boy, what's the difference?" His nonchalant attitude stemmed from pure disinterest. "Besides you said he'd be at the bogus herbal shop at the edge of town. Not my fault you can't even get simple things right, Captain. You're not going senile on me already, are you? Should I have grabbed vitamin supplements while I was at the apothecary?" His lips were downturned in a faux pout as he dug his heels into the dark wood of the deck.
Perhaps anyone else would have trembled in the presence of such a man but Alois was never one to back down and was more likely to rip out the dagger concealed in his heeled boots than play with niceties. His words earned him a low chuckle, barely earning the flicker of his crimson eyes as he walked toward the center of the deck.
"Perhaps you're right on that but our target has long fled the port by this time. Our best option is to head to the north port of whale water harbor and meet up with our agents there. Any complaints?" His calculating eyes rose to the group of people standing on the deck. Other than the cocky blonde, there was a woman in her early twenties with scarlet hair pulled back in two small braids with oversized glasses situation in the center of her face, an older blonde man with a cigarette peeking out of the corner of his lips, and a lengthy, pale man whose face was as sharp as a snake's.
He took the silence as an answer. "Then set the sails. Bard, get Finny from the kitchen and let him know we're taking off." The man gave a puff of his cigarette saying, "Whatever you say, Captain," before vanishing into the depths of the ship.
"But…What about the child, Captain?" The red-haired woman turned her head to the unconscious child tied to a beam with thick rope.
"The empire's ships will be returning to port as soon as the sun finishes setting. We don't have the luxury especially now that he's on the ship. Dead men tell no tales, after all. It's the same with boys." The redhead dropped her eyes to the deck before making her way into the ship. Alois still stood with his back pressed against the edge of the ship, the sea breeze ruffling his platinum tresses and framing his effeminate face in a golden halo.
"Why don't we just sell him off?" He said with a shrug, ice-colored eyes flickering to him. "He owes me a new pair of shoes after the fool's errand you sent me on. I wasted my perfume for nothing. It's not exactly endless, you know." He stuck his nose haughtily in the air which earned a hum from the captain in return.
"I'm not against the idea but we'll see how it is once we reach the harbor in a few days. So try and keep that blade of yours in control until I decide," A cold smirk just barely upturned his pale lips before it was gone as quickly as it appeared. "Besides, it looks like our little guest isn't done pretending to sleep."
A sense of dread washed over the prince and he found no reason to keep his eye closed any longer. Tied to a beam like an animal, in the middle of a ship floating off from port with nothing but miles of water on all sides, he was trapped by all means. But that didn't stop the bite in his voice. "Oh? So you're not as stupid as I thought. But I suppose even rodents have some level of intelligence." The captain smirked, not expecting a tied-up captive to do anything but plead and cry but a cold sweat traveled through his body the moment he caught sight of his face.
He knew that face, those cold eyes, that sadistic smirk. Those eyes were charming but murderous, his hands drenched in the blood of countless soldiers and citizens alike. Even he had seen wanted posters around town in the years he snuck out of the castle. He was Sebastian Michaelis: the Captain of Devil's Greed, the most notorious and violent pirate ship that left any sailor slick with fear just at the mention of his name.
Sebastian gave a low chuckle. "So you recognize me. Understand what position you're in now, hmm? Where did that bravado go, boy?"
He bid his nerves aside and swallowed down the beat of his racing heart that echoed in his throat. He quickly thought of his options with frantic speed and found himself taut with the realization that all chances of survival were a terrifying zero. Even revealing his identity would do little. Best case scenario they'd use his dead body to try and provoke his father into a trap. He wasn't the crown prince like his brother. Perhaps they'd consider using him as a bargaining chip if that was the case but…A sudden jolt ran through his body as the thought unfurled in his mind. Yes…it was dangerous but this could be his only chance….!
Cold, bitter-laced laughter escaped his lips which earned a cocked eyebrow from the captain. "You fools wouldn't dare touch me."
"Oho, is that right boy? Care to elaborate on your delusion?"
He mentally took a deep breath, centering his nerves before fixing the pirate with a sharp but confident gaze that was just as chilly as the water beneath the ship.
"My name is Ciel Phantomhive; heir to the Phantomhive Empire. You wouldn't dare touch me."
This was just another game and he planned on becoming the victor. His life hung in the balance of his checkmate.