(A/N: Toboso Yana-sensei owns Black butler. Anywho, this is Lizzy's chapter. If you hadn't noticed, I love Lizzy's character, and will always.)

Being a lady wasn't easy. Well, naturally, I had pretty dresses, maids to do all the work and lovely food, so I suppose that I wasn't suffering.

I had anything that a girl would have wished for. Money, a name full of status and power, an adoring family (but a strict mother), caring staff and a pretty face. Not to mention an ADORABLE fiance with the cutest blue eyes in Victoria's England.

I had anything a girl could have wished for. For a while, I was happy. I would take my fencing lessons, play with Ciel, go shopping, have tea parties and all of the ladylike things that I was expected to do.

I was comfortable, but more importantly, truly happy. THe worst thing that had really happened to me was the time that Ciel had said that he wanted to have a cute, non-threatening and 'nice' wife. One not 'scary' like my mother. A nice, sweet, cute nonthreatening girl that didn't fence, handle swords, or do anything physical. A doll, delicate and cared for. Just what my Aunt Angelina had always told me.

That day had sort of-switched a part of me off. And switched on a newer part of me. One who was meant to deceive, and make sure that Ciel would be safe and unknowing of my true self. One hand held a sword, sharp, deadly and ready to defend him, and the other, a flower, a doll, a lacy parasol, anything. Anything that was 'ladylike', and acceptable.

Life went on, with myself training with the masters, becoming an expert sword-fighter on some days. On other days, I would gossip with insipid little girls over tea and elevenses. Until IT happened.

That day, I was cheerfully embroidering. A handkerchief for my cute fiance, Ciel. I had worked on it for days, devotedly, until I was sure that it was perfectly cute. It was a gift for his birthday.

He never got it.

That day, Paula had burst into my room, breathless with horror. And when I heard the news I was unable to breathe. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Killed. Murdered. Fire.

Those words rang in my ears, uncomprehendingly. I couldn't really understand what Paula was saying. Or at least my mind told itself that. No. No. No. My brain rejected it with all it could. This concept was foreign, strange, alien to my ears.

I cried at his grave, I could overhear the other noble ladies, chatting. Chatting. About the fire, about the Phantomhives being murdered, about some wretched lady being remarried-

Those women didn't care. Why should they? It wasn't their family. It wasn't their husband, their child, their love. Why should they care? They had already done their duty. They sat in the chapel at the funeral, making sure to look pious and repentant.

"Oh, what a shame, for such a happy family to be killed like this!"

"They will be terribly missed!"

Not by them, of course. After the funeral, they would go back to their pampered lives of excess, and I would go back to my life, a void.

This wasn't supposed to happen. Wasn't I a proper young lady? Didn't I do as I was told? I fenced, I kept it a secret. I was a proper young lady. I was supposed to be married in a romantic ceremony. I was supposed to have my first kiss. I was supposed to be a Phantomhive. All my life, training and training and training, and for what? Fighting with mother to be cute, and for what? Black dresses, a black mood, and a black heart. A small headstone for the body of my fiance, never found. All of it was so wrong. I was wrong. Surely this was my fault. What was it? I wore too much pink? No, my training. I didn't train enough.

That month, the darkest of my life, I threw myself into training like never before. My fury was like a tiger's, slashing through my opponents with no mercy. My mother was parts impressed with my progress and disheartened for the reason behind my strength. The Phantomhives were gone, but… I wasn't quite sure. I needed to continue. I didn't know why. I had a feeling that I would need to become stronger, better, I would need to protect something (or one?) highly important to me.

And one day, for no particular reason, Ciel was back. No explanation, no excuse, he simply WAS. Along with a butler clad in black. I didn't trust him.

I still don't. On the outside, he was gorgeous (well, a fourteen-year-old girl was allowed to have her little crushes) and a damn good butler. But something was always… off. I never could really pinpoint it, and to say anything to Ciel would waste my words. Ladies were to be cute, unknowing angels, just as Aunty An said.

It didn't matter. My fiance was back. The family was happy. Everything was great!

On the outside. Internally, I knew that this short, skinny little Earl was not the Ciel Phantomhive I had once loved. He was not my Ciel. That month, something had happened to him, something that brought out the darkness in his heart, the part of him he never let me see again.

That cute little boy had burned up in the flame that had consumed his parents, and was not to be seen. But no matter what, I will protect him. No matter if I am tall and unladylike, I will stand silently beside him. I will search for my Ciel, hidden under the icy gaze of this boy beside me.

I had thought that I would die when Ciel did. I realize that I was wrong now. I am Elizabeth Midford, daughter of Alexis Midford, Head Knight of England. I will stand tall and proud, with a blade by my side, ready to fight to protect him, whether he wishes it or not.

And one day, I will rescue my Ciel from the flames.

(A/N: Review, peeps!)