Hello again! One more chapter is up and I wish you to enjoy it to the fullest! I want to thank AwesomeFangirlOtaku01 for the review and the kind words! Sebastian and Selina making sense as a couple was one of my major goals and I so very pleased that it seems I achieved it! Thank you so much! Of course, I would like to hear more opinions and what you like or dislike in this pair, so... feel free to tell me! 😁 Also, a huge thanks to darkangellynn5 for reaching out to me in facebook! *hugs*
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Kuroshitsuji or its characters. I entirely own only my OCs, arcs and ideas/themes not mentioned in any form of the franchise (manga, anime, games, movies or musicals).
Chapter 26: The Tutor, The Emerald Witch
"Ihhi furoy-eh mihhi jii kenen tsureru nen." Ciel's monotonous voice was heard over the rambling noises of the moving train.
"That will never do. You are stressing the wrong syllables." Sebastian said with his as a matter of fact tone sitting at the opposite seat.
"Argh, I give up. I am feeling sick!" The boy complained as he flopped and lied down on the seat. "Reading in a train makes me… so dizzy! Ich…" He started one more try.
"You simply lack discipline." The butler sighed really troubled with the non-existent progress of his students.
"We are the ones lacking discipline or German language is like you purposely twist your tongue in a knot?" The blond tutor said next to the butler. "At this point, I believe that even Greek would be simpler to learn to speak and at least be understood."
"Miss Selina is right. German pronunciation is impossible. Being able to read it is enough." Ciel confirmed having given up on his textbook.
The demon butler crossed his arms on his chest and sighed once again, glancing at the woman beside him, clearly accusing her for not even trying to discipline her student, just because now they were both students under his tutoring.
"Don't look at me like that. I never said I was a good student and he never showed such unwillingness in our lessons. Could it be personal?" She ended up whispering behind her own textbook, teasing the demon.
After two days of travelling by train, the Phantomhive group reached the Nuremberg outskirts and started enquiring about the case at hand… However, communication was a little bit difficult.
"Hey… Sebastian. What language are they speaking?" The young Earl asked somehow terrified by what he was hearing.
"East Franconian. It is a southern German dialect." Sebastian said in his usual cool way, while Selina, standing next to him with narrowed eyes, was not sure if the German man in front of them was speaking funny or if her ears were somehow damaged, because she could not make out even one word.
"The dialect is too strong! My studies were practically useless! I cannot even follow what they are saying!" The boy yelled to his laughing butler.
"The fundamentals are vital in everything, young master."
Ciel sighed. "So what is he saying?"
Sebastian went on interpreting; the man did not want to have anything with the witch's curse no matter how much gold Ciel would give him. Sebastian translated using a funny voice and a heavy pronunciation, that made Selina bite her lips in an effort to hold the laugh threatening to escape her throat. She made a mental note of making him use it again when they would be alone, where she would be free to laugh at her heart's content.
"Has he seen an accursed human? And you do not need to translate the dialect too… it is stupid!" The boy commented glancing at the demon.
What seemed to have happened at the victims was quite horrible; their faces had gotten really swollen and their skin resembled a melting thick mud. The government came and collected the dead along with the only survivor, a man so shaken up that could tell nothing besides "the wolf man is coming" and being quite hysterical about it. Sebastian asked Ciel if they should search every hospital to locate the man.
"There is no point in speaking to a madman. We should go at once to this 'werewolves' forest' ourselves."
"However, the man refuses to take us in his carriage, no matter how much we offer." Sebastian reminded him.
A clever and determined small smile appeared on the boy's thin lips. "Then ask him… how much the carriage costs." He ordered and received an approving smile from both butler and tutor.
{~}
After some time two carriages were heading deep in a thick and quite dark forest. The leading one was occupied by the young master, his trusted butler and personal tutor, while the passengers of the one following were the quite freaked out servants.
"The compass has begun to drift." Sebastian announced putting the instrument back in his pocket.
"It may just be that mineral resources are buried around here." Ciel decided.
"It may just as easily be… a curse." The demon teased glancing backwards at his master while driving the carriage. The boy was still disbelieving and sceptical, despite everything he had seen and learned lately, and that made demon and witch, sitting side by side, smirk lightly. "It amuses me that you refuse to believe in curses… when you have a devil for a servant and have come eye-to-eye with grim reapers; and of course we must not forget our newest witchy addition." He said.
Selina graced him with a sweet smile thanking him, and then looked at the boy waving at him with fingers engulfed in a blue flame that seemed to surprise him.
"Moreover… that which binds you and me… is also a curse of sorts. However, witches were humans falsely accused at ridiculous trials. They did not fly in the sky or create storms." Sebastian continued.
"They would not do that even if they were real witches." Selina contributed and explained seeing the questioning look Ciel gave her. "Well, young master. Even natural born witches are mostly humans… let us say around sixty percent human."
"And what about the rest forty?" Ciel asked quite intrigued.
"Mm… depends on whether the witch is black or white. In my case it is twenty percent angel-to-be material and twenty demon-to-be; that is why I am grey, capable of both good and evil witchcraft."
Ciel nodded. "Anyway… It is absurd to believe in supernatural entities… like a curse. That is why… I feel…"
Both demon and witch chuckled amused by the boy, since they knew that every spell was energy produced by the caster's intention determining the nature of it, whether it would be a harmful curse or a beneficial healing.
"By the way, Sebastian have you ever met a real witch? Besides Miss Selina that is…" He added seeing the supposedly hurt look the woman gave him. The deeper they went in this case, the boy could not shake the feeling that these two were becoming more alike than before.
"Natural witches like our Selina, no I cannot say I had the pleasure, but… yes. I have met those who went by that moniker on several occasions before."
"Did they summon you to the witches' Sabbath and worship you?" Asked the boy and seemed quite amused.
"Summoning devils and worshipping them… I do not believe Sabbaths were held for that purpose." Sebastian said and Selina silently nodded confirming his words. "They were times of social interaction for depraved adults, who wished to escape reality by sinking into debauchery… offering us their souls in exchange for their desires. One cannot summon us devils without that degree of determination."
"It was also a good opportunity to share any newly-acquired knowledge, you know. Not everything is about debauchery and sinning." Selina sounded a bit offended glaring at the demon, who smiled at her so charmingly, obviously enjoying her look.
Ciel mumbled something like the beginning of a question, but when Sebastian encouraged him to go on the boy changed his mind. Right that moment, Selina pulled at Sebastian's sleeve to make him look in front of them, he did and left a surprised "Oh" before pointing forward, where houses had started peeking through the heavy mist. In a while they reached the entrance of what seemed to be a village.
"No one's around… Is it abandoned?" Bard asked while everyone was looking around the empty paths among the houses.
"No." Sebastian said. "The houses have been kept up. I am certain people do live here."
Finny, obviously a little frightened by the situation, started yelling and asking if anybody was there. A sudden bang followed by metallic clanging sounds cut him off and out of the blue, women armed with axes, shovels, picks and any other tool ran out of the buildings screaming in German something about intruders. They immediately started asking questions and Ciel was astonished to see their garments resembling those of the medieval era; he quickly told Sebastian to tell them they wanted to meet their liege lord. The demon did that but his request seemed to upset the women even more; a name seemed to pick Sebastian's attention before the women called them betrayers, frightening Finny even more.
Everyone immediately formed a circle around Ciel and Selina, who was pushed to the back by the demon. The woman pulled the boy protectively to her with one hand, while her other was already working on opening the pocket-like slits of her skirt and reach for one of her daggers. The screaming women also circled them and were obviously threatening them by pushing forward and brandishing their weapons.
A loud and steady voice drew everyone's attention and the women, surprised and almost speechless, retreated opening way for the newcomer while repeating the name that intrigued Sebastian. One woman, who seemed to be the leader, bowed and apologized to the authoritative figure that came. Sebastian asked if the person was the Honourable Sullivan, the liege lord, with a slightly troubled look on his face.
"Indeed. I am Sieglinde Sullivan! Liege of this forest." Came the answer from a petite, cute girl looking not much older than eleven or twelve years, perched on the strong arm of a tall, muscled almost like a bull, blond man.
Ciel was left speechless, observing the medieval dressed girl claiming to be the liege of this village. She was a really slim girl with tiny feet and delicate face with big emerald eyes. Ciel was surprised to see that, just like his blue eyes always seemed to reflect on his dark but slightly bluish hair; the girl's green eyes seemed to do the same on her almost raven hair. Despite his disbelief about the authority of the girl, he could not help but spare a second, just to think she actually looked kind of cute with her big, round eyes resembling green fires.
The man carrying her was really tall, taller than Sebastian, who actually looked irritated as the man towered above him and thrust his face in his, scanning him with cold eyes, right before asking in German where does he come from, glaring him with a supposedly threatening face. The demon had already collected himself and was ready to answer, but then the little hand of the girl smacked the big man on the head ordering him to stop.
"Excuse us. It has been quite some time since we last had visitors in the village. Moreover…" The girl said while continuing pulling her servant's hair and then started staring at Ciel. She went on for a while, obviously examining the young Earl from head to toe, something that made the boy feel quite uncomfortable.
"Ahem!" Wolfram – as it was the big man's name – cleared his throat and then took up his role as a spokesperson of the little liege. "I do not know how you managed to reach us… but here… in our village of Wolfsschlucht… outsiders are not welcome to stay. Now that we are clear, go back to where you came from!" He said in a thundering voice still glaring at them in a non friendly manner.
"Best to retreat and consider alternative approaches I think." Ciel whispered to Sebastian and the butler agreed. The Phantomhive party started turning towards the village exit, while Sebastian was explaining in German they would leave; but right then the man screamed for them to wait and instantly the villagers surrounded them once again.
"You and your party… do not seem to understand how fortunate you are to have passed through the forest unscathed." Continued the man, only for Sebastian to ask him what he meant. "Surely you must have heard the tales! About the noble wolf man who protects the forest!"
"Then… this is indeed the witches' village under the protection of the wolf man… is that right?" Sebastian asked with obviously, at least to Selina's ears, fake curiosity and amazement.
The leader of the village women started yelling something at Wolfram but the little girl in his arms cut her off quite boldly. She then started whispering something at her servant and the man seemed quite shocked and unwilling, but he quickly complied under the authoritative glare she gave him. Selina was observing the girl, and was amazed at the thought they had just found the female counterpart of their little lord; the look the girl gave the blond man immediately made him obedient and thus Selina was even more certain she was right.
"Listen well. If you head back into the forest now, darkness will fall before you make it out. The forest at night is far too perilous a place. Safe passage through the forest a second time cannot be guaranteed… No. You will never be able to leave its confines again. So… we will make an exception and permit you all to stay the night." The blond man announced.
Finny gasped utterly shocked, as he was hugging his master's arm protectively, and Snake's amazement was obvious although expressed in a much milder way. Sebastian's usual apathetic face showed nothing and the only evidence he too was surprised was a furrow between his eyebrows. Wolfram went on telling his lady would provide them beds for the night, but at dawn they would have to go; the leading woman started yelling at him again, obviously not pleased with what was going on, but she was forced to stop as Wolfram told her that it was his lady's wish and that was the end of it. Ciel was not sure he had understood everything correctly and asked Sebastian what was going on, after Sebastian confirmed the idea he too had formed in his mind they all followed Wolfram and the girl, Sieglinde, to the Emerald Castle, as her place was called.
"They told us to leave, then to stay the night. Really, what are they playing at?" Ciel whispered to Sebastian and Selina as they were walking. Sebastian could not say for sure, but obviously something was really wrong in this village, Selina shrugged her shoulders unable to answer, feeling petrified by the sight before her.
They were going through a makeshift square, bizarrely decorated with various torture instruments and mechanisms, such as the infamous iron maiden or spiked cages and seats, a great wheel where the victims were bound and stretched and many other devices made the witch's stomach turn upside down. She was walking between Ciel and Sebastian but bumped on the butler, as she unconsciously took a sidestep in an effort to put more distance between her and these monstrous tools of pain and suffering that had played quite a big part in the history of her kind. Sebastian grabbed her hand in his big palm and squeezed it giving her courage; this small contact and gesture helped her relax a little and be able to keep up with him and not stay behind.
"Eeep! What is this place?" Mey-Rin stuttered in a shaky voice.
"You do realise it is packed with instruments of torture?... Says Wilde." Snake said with an equally unstable voice and looked pale under his already pale scales adorning his cheeks.
Sebastian nodded. "Those were quite popular in the witch trials." He said squeezing once again Selina's hand, who was obviously struggling not to wrap her free hand around his arm and glue herself on his side.
"This is all fast becoming outrageously occult for my tastes…" Ciel was saying when Sieglinde called for him, saying something the boy did not understand, but was certain it was quite rude for a lady to say. "I am Ciel Phantomhive." He said after Sebastian explained she was asking for his name. She asked something more to which Sebastian answered obviously amused, but the disbelieving look the girl gave him, left the boy puzzled even more.
Now they had reached a high bridge, stretching across a deep moat and leading to a tall iron gate. While Wolfram was unlocking it, Bard took a look at the moat, impressed at "how dead meat he would be if he fell down there" and Selina - back to being her usual self as soon as they left the square - pulled him back by his shirt's collar, since the chef was already leaning dangerously out of the bridge; he graced her with a goofy smile. Wolfram announced they arrived and entered the castle's garden.
Both garden and castle were quite bizarre too, with the trees' leafage being shaped as mushrooms cups and filled with poisonous flowers - as Sieglinde herself informed an enthusiastic Finnian - and the castle being more of a rather medium sized manor with turrets all over it and a small tower high above, zigzagging in a way that made it look pretty unstable. The same was the inside of the said 'castle'. A big tree was situated at the base of the big staircase and various lanterns were hanging from its dead branches, giving off an ominous atmosphere with their dim light. Candles and some big pumpkins in the entry hall made Selina think she actually entered a Halloween witch's shack.
Sebastian told the servants to wait downstairs and he, along with Selina, followed Ciel, Wolfram and Sieglinde to a grand dining room where the two children were seated, as Sieglinde obviously ordered Wolfram to make preparations for their guests and dinner too. Ciel examined with his eye the girl once again and he seemed troubled – dared Selina think even a little sad – focusing on her tiny feet, where obviously the binding technique of 'lotus feet' had been practised, probably making the girl unable to walk on her own.
Her demanding voice took him out of his musings, since she obviously was talking to him but Sebastian explained her that his master… or his tutor were not fluent in German, which seemed to disappoint but also intrigue the girl. That led to an uncomfortable silence stretching to one hour and Wolfram had still not appeared to make any preparation for dinner.
"Come on… you say something! You are an expert at chatting with women!" Ciel whispered to his butler, who strangely enough seemed a little lost by the girl's ability of remaining silent and emotionless for an entire hour.
Sebastian knew women could not remain listless for long – Selina, for example, standing on master's other side was trying very hard to hide her nervousness, as she kept crossing and uncrossing her fingers or scratching her palms – and the younger the woman the more energetic she is.
A loud growling sound cut the butler off as he was ready to apologize to his master; the growl came from Sieglinde's stomach and the girl informed them it meant her stomach demanded sustenance, without losing her self-composure even for a second. Ciel was shocked to realize the girl had no sense of proper etiquette, but then became terrified as Sebastian smiling left the room, after a short discussion with the girl, and left him and Selina alone with Sieglinde.
"Where are you going, damn you?" Ciel whispered desperately.
"I believe he went to help Mr. Wolfram in making dinner faster." Selina responded in the same way, leaning slightly towards the boy.
"And he left the two of us here, knowing we do not know enough German to converse… the bastard did it on purpose!" The young Earl decided and the woman could not deny it since it was very likely he was right; besides, they both knew how much the demon enjoyed pulling practical jokes like that to the boy.
Soon Sieglinde asked Ciel something and the boy found that if he listened carefully he could understand some words; and so guessed she asked him about the black haired man's name, meaning Sebastian, and where his parents were, he answered accordingly to both questions but felt once again uncomfortable, when he saw a green sparkle in her eyes as she leaned her head on her small hand with interest. The poor boy gulped and wished very strongly for the demon to instantly get back to his side. Selina, on the other hand, saw it and felt really frustrated her German were so poor to be able to help her master; but then again, she really enjoyed the awkward and shy interaction of the two teenagers, and found both of them quite cute.
After some time the two butlers returned with a full course dinner of traditional German cuisine and the young lady Sullivan seemed pretty impatient to greedily dig in it. At first she praised her servant but when the man admitted Sebastian assisted with preparing this mouth-watering pork and dessert, the girl seemed even more impatient. Sebastian said something and Selina did not need to know German to understand the charming demon butler was playing his usual 'humble-but-perfect-Phantomhive-butler' card to the girl.
The woman rolled her eyes and the little movement drew the butler's attention to her. He saw her hands resting on her stomach from where he could hear a low rumble that made him smirk. He had already taken care of the other servants, allowing them to dine on small pieces of the pork, but Selina had not left their master's side, not even for a second by the time they got off the train and now, as a human herself, she was obviously hungry, seeing the undoubtedly delicious food not helping her predicament. As lady Sullivan began eating in a so… unladylike way chomping on the food, stuffing her tender cheeks and humming pleased at the taste, and as lord Phantomhive watched her once again shocked with the lack of table manners, the butler discreetly prepared a plate and gave it to Selina pointing her to sit in a chair at the back of the room, out of the lady's and lord's sight, and eat.
Selina was surprised by the demon's gesture, thanked him with a smile and did as she was told. She had to struggle not to moan as soon as she put a bite of pork in her mouth; the meat melted on her tongue like honey and the taste was heavenly. Right at that moment, she became certain this demon would be the death of her in some way; what she did not know was whether he would take advantage of her weakness for his lovemaking or his cooking to finish her off...
The doors of the dining room flew suddenly open and Hilde, the leader of the women from before, burst in the room screaming that the wolf man had come, shocking Ciel and Selina while Sebastian looked at her thoughtfully. Hilde went on talking about a woman in need of Sieglinde's help, the said girl instantly lost her interest on eating and ordered Wolfram to take her there immediately. Sebastian taking the liberty to speak for his master, refused staying behind, as Wolfram ordered them and so, in a short time they had reached the village again and were taken to see a young woman, whose back was sliced open by what obviously seemed to be claw marks.
The sight was terrible even for Ciel, who could not stop looking at the wounds, while Sebastian and Selina shared a similar troubled look as their minds were already at work in figuring out the situation, although Selina already had a vague idea. Sieglinde seemed quite shocked, immediately took a small vial Wolfram offered her and started treating the screaming and crying woman. The girl started mumbling something that made Selina open wide eyes while Sebastian narrowed his.
After washing away the blood, Sieglinde seemed to notice something was at miss on the woman, and started yelling at the villagers about an amulet she had repeatedly told them to wear at all times. Wolfram gave an order and the women scattered around to take protective measures against the wolf man.
"What do you think?" Ciel asked both butler and tutor.
"I have no idea what is really going on, but I can say for sure that up to now I have not sensed anything supernatural or magical, and the 'spell' the girl said were mostly gibberish in the witches' language holding no power, but the potion was definitely made by healing herbs." Selina said leaning close to the boy and the butler.
Sebastian seemed to agree. "That injury alone is not enough for us to go on. Shall we try searching the forest?" He asked.
"Not now. Avoid doing anything to give them cause to distrust you." The young Earl suggested.
A rough voice was heard screaming something and a ragged woman appeared, holding a twisted piece of wood as staff and a hood covered her deformed face and toothless mouth. Young Sieglinde tried to explain her something but the woman obviously did not care for excuses; in her mind it was already decided it was the wolf man's curse because strangers were allowed to stay in their forest. Still screaming she almost glued her ugly face on Ciel, and Selina, purely instinctively, pulled the boy away from her while her other hand already circling the handle of her dagger strapped just underneath her skirt; Sebastian's calm hand stopped her gently. The woman was clearly the medieval village crone and kept shouting screeching as she walked away.
"Anyhow, stay inside till dawn! It is plain to all of you now, is it not? Do not carelessly venture into the forest if you value your lives. Ever!" Ordered Wolfram before he collected his really saddened lady and the strangers and get back to the Emerald Castle.
{~}
Later at night, Sebastian served tea for his master and Selina while in the great bedchamber assigned to the boy.
"Make it strong. We may be up all night." Ciel ordered and the butler obeyed. "I never thought anyone would actually fall victim to the wolf man… I mean it is not in line with Claus' accou-" He was saying when Sebastian shoved a snack in the boy's mouth and gestured him to be quiet.
The boy stayed in place munching on the snack, as he watched the butler going to the bedroom's door swiftly and soundlessly; in the same cat-like manner the tutor was leaving her cup on the floor, while placing a hand on her dagger. Sebastian opened the door suddenly and, to Ciel's surprise, saw their nightly visitor was Sullivan herself, who lost her balance and landed on the floor quite ungraciously leaving a pained sound.
In a second Sebastian had already circled the tiny waist with an arm, lifting her from the ground. "Well, well, Lady Sullivan. Have you left your valet behind and come here all by yourself?"
"I… I am at least capable of moving about the castle alone with this 'hexenballon'!" The child said struggling to free herself from the butler's iron grip.
"Is that right?" Sebastian said looking indifferently at the balloons flowing in the air tied at the girl's waist. "However… I cannot say that I approve…" He untied the balloons and released them in the air. "...of a lady eavesdropping at a man's door. So what business do you have here with us?" He asked grabbing her soft cheeks and forcing her look in his interrogating mahogany eyes, in order to scare her and make her talk; a practice always working.
"I… think you have that the wrong way round. I believe it is you who have business with me." She said trying to hide any feeling of intimidation she might had.
"What?" Ciel asked partly because he was not certain he got right what was transpired between the girl and the butler, since it was in German, and partly because he was curious for the girl's answer.
"I am a witch. I can see right through the three of you and what you are thinking." She said in a very determined and authoritative manner.
Selina was equally confused but her whole posture relaxed and her face took an amused look, as a light smirk spread on her lips upon hearing the only word she knew easily by hard in every language, and was the thing least expecting to come out of the delicate lips of the small girl. From that moment on, she was certain that this case could prove quite fun with the involvement of this little 'witch'.
Something tells me Selina will indeed have a lot of fun with Sieglinde's "magical" nature... as one witch to another, right? 😂
I apologize to German readers on behalf of Selina, saying that thing about German language but praising Greek that non-Greek speakers also find extremely difficult to learn, but... as we say in Greece "If you don't speak nicely about your home, it will fall on your head", so there... that is the only reason Selina 'thinks' Greek easier, I speak nicely about my home! 😆
Nothing more to say for now, I think, so... 'Till next time! Bye!