Fabric of Fate

Woven Together (Chapter One)

Life has always been confusing. You never had a simple day in your entire existence, so it shouldn't surprise you that this is where you are now, stuck in the Phantomhive manor, practically begging for your life at the hands of some stubborn twelve year old and his demonic butler.
You weren't always so lucky in your life, struggling to survive in England, moving from town to town, trying to live on your own. Your parents, bless them, tried their hardest, but there are some things you can't overcome, like the Spanish Flu. Growing up in Victorian England was a challenge all on its own, but luckily you were just talented enough to be made an apprentice of a local, somewhat, famous designer. Struggling didn't even begin to describe what you had to endure, going through hours and hours of rigorous work, sewing until your fingers went numb. Your skill was appreciated by some people though, especially a certain young Earl.
One day while you were working in your small cramped little space, you heard the bell on your shop ding, the ringing signaling that someone had entered the store. Perking up, you paused your work, your sore fingers relieved at the well needed rest. Sitting up, you made your way over to the little desk at the front, dusting off your apron. Upon looking up, you noticed something you certainly weren't expecting, a boy. He couldn't have been any older than thirteen, maybe fourteen, but still this was a shock. You glanced around, looking for the boy's parents, only to find the burning gaze of his butler. He was handsome... surprisingly so, but something about him felt... off, yet you couldn't quite name it, not yet at least.
That was when he spoke, clearing his throat to regain your attention.* "I've come looking for... a dress of sorts, something pink with quite a ludicrous amount of frills and ribbons." He had an air of authority about him, which honestly made you a bit uncomfortable. "oh,.. I see, shopping for a sister of some kind?" You couldn't help but ask, curious about what this young boy was doing here shopping for something that was clearly not his style, not with all those dark colors, yet you had to hand it to his designer, he looked rather wealthy and regal.
He seemed to look at you with an amused expression before speaking. "Actually no, it's for my betrothed". After he spoke you must have looked surprised because he simply chuckled, yet there was no real humor in it's sound. Knocking yourself out of your stupor, you smiled at him. "Ah.. I see, well in that case-" You moved to the back little corner of the shop, hidden behind a rather old looking door. Emerging with a smile, you had a myriad of pieces of paper in your hands. " These are some of this season's designs from my master" You say softly, setting them down and spreading them across the counter. "Madam Lockhart isn't here at the moment, but if you like I can ask for more-" he raised a hand, silencing you. "What about your designs?" He asked curiously, his head tilting ever so slightly to the side, resting most of his body weight on his cane. You didn't hear anything, but you could see a smile cross the face of his butler. Something about that man irritated you greatly, but you couldn't quite name it. Turning back to the boy, you nodded. "Oh... I see, well, uhm.. I have a few of my designs in here" You say a little bashfully, thrown off guard by his demanding request. Pulling out a small sketchpad, you let him flip through the pages of your own detailed designs, each one was as exquisite as the last, exactly what he was looking for. Nodding his head in a subtle gesture, the butler stepped forward, placing a bag of pounds, too many to know exactly by the look of them, but it seemed like a lot. Swallowing hard, you looked back up at the boy, and he spoke once more.
"My name is Ciel Phantomhive, the sole head of the Phantomhive family" He started, "I've been looking for a designer, one who could assist me in creating a fashion line for the Funtomhive toys, as well as maybe branching into a girls line of clothing, I haven't yet decided." You were speechless, you stared at him with wide eyes, unable to say anything until he cleared his throat. "So you... wish to hire me?" You asked, hardly believing your own words. He nodded in response.
Finally snapping out of it, you grabbed the bag of money, looking through it like a rat discovering food for the first time in a while. You heard Ciel, as he had stated, chuckle at your shock and evident desperation, but you didn't care. "Deal, I'll design whatever you want right away" You say with an exasperated sense of determination.
Ciel seemed pleased at this declaration. Waving his butler forward, he uttered, "Sebastian, see to it that.... I'm sorry, what was your name again?" You had totally forgotten. In all of the commotion and surprise this visit held, you had forgotten to give a noble your name, how utterly foolish. You told him your full name, knowing you didn't come from any fancy family, but it still felt like an obligation. He nodded and without looking towards his butler he spoke once more. "Sebastian, please make sure our esteemed tailor receives a schedule of when to visit the manor so we may discuss business." So Sebastian was his name, somehow that didn't make you anything less irritated, but you put on a kind smile, looking towards his direction. "Yes, my Lord" He said softly, his voice was smooth, like honey on your ears, but it didn't feel reassuring, it felt.. dangerous. You turned to face Sebastian; as you had learned, giving him a small smile. He handed me an address on a piece of paper, covered with dates and times. Seems he had been prepared for this outcome. You ended up waving goodbye to the two men, letting the Phantomhive boy keep my sketchpad, something told you you'd be seeing it soon anyways.
That night you were left with my own thoughts, holding the piece of paper in your hands, my thumb brushing over the inked dates. You couldn't help your curiosity, so, later that week you decided you would attend their Manor.
When you stepped outside of your humble apartment somewhere downtown, you spotted a carriage waiting for you. This was a bit of a shock but you suppose with the connections the Phantomhive's had you shouldn't have been too surprised. Your eyes examined the carriage as it started off, the quiet trotting of the horse a rather relaxing background noise, you couldn't help but appreciate the rather intricate decoration inside of the old carriage, the decorative plush seats, the wallpaper lining the interior, it was far classier than anything you've seen before. The road to the Phantomhive Manor was rather winding, going through hills and turns, and woods, but once you were there, a silent gasp left your mouth. It was gorgeous. The architecture looked like it had taken years to perfect, the delicate craftsmanship something that only a true noble would have been able to afford. You didn't do much research on the family before arriving, but you had asked your master a few questions about them. Her only warning to you was to be careful. That was ominous but you decided not to dwell on it too much, or else you'd start to get a little uncomfortable.
You jolted as the carriage came to a stop, something you weren't prepared for, causing you to lurch forward in your seat. Regaining your balance, you dusted off your nicest dress you had, and reached for the door, but before you could open it, it swung open, only for you to see that tall butler in black on the other side. "Ah.. Thank you, Sebastian? Was it?" You said, giving him a rather small smile, he still made you uncomfortable for some reason, even though everything about his presence should put you to ease. "Welcome to the Phantomhive Manor, my lady" He said smoothly, bowing his head in respect before shutting the carriage door once you had stepped out of it. "I wasn't expecting such a warm welcome, if I'm being honest" You managed to say after a beat of silence. He simply chuckled, the sound a rich tune that you could listen to all day. He led you towards the door, opening it for your person, revealing the even more beautiful interior.
Your eyes fell on the many intricate carving along the sconces and pillars, the mix between typical Victorian and Gothic elements left you speechless. The only time you had ever been in something remotely this fancy was when you had attended you Master's summer home for a banquet she threw, nothing ever like this. You bowed your head to Sebastian, thinking him, before watching him move to the stairs, you guessed to wait for his master, he was almost like a loyal dog. Just as that thought crossed your mind, you heard the tap of heels descending the stairs. Looking up, you spotted the Earl himself, standing atop the lower half of the staircase. Bowing your head in respect, you couldn't help but feel a twinge of nervousness run down your spine. Something about this house felt utterly... haunting. "Good evening, my Lord" You say quietly, careful to not be too boisterous in this massive home. He smiled down at you, making his way down the stairs, before stepping right in front of your person. He greeted you via your last name, a touch of class you didn't quite think you deserved. "We have quite a bit of business to attend to, don't we?" He asked with a soft smile, you could tell it was fake, even from a short glance. "A-ah of course, I brought some more designs with me if you're interested in seeing them, you had mentioned designs for dolls and the like, so I came up with a few that I think would be just lovely in a store front" You stammered on, your words coming out faster then you meant them to. He listened intently before nodding over his shoulder, leading you up the large stairs to his office. You followed eagerly, excited to even share the ideas you had.
Once inside of his office, he sat on a large leather chair, his small body practically getting swallowed up by the leather. You tried not to laugh, not wanting to hurt his ego. He seemed to catch on and chuckled darkly. "I suppose you're wondering how someone as young as me can become an Earl." You didn't want to intrude, but you nodded anyway. "I have to admit, I was a little bit curious." You say with a chuckle, trying to lighten the atmosphere. That didn't work. "My parents died when I was ten, in a fire." He said it so bluntly you almost didn't recognize what he said at all. After blinking a few times, you opened your mouth to say something, but he had cut you off. "No need to grieve for me, it happened years ago, and it gave me the power and position you see before you." The way he talked about it was so cold, you couldn't help but shudder. He looked as if he truly had no care in the world about what he was speaking. "Still... I'm very sorry for your loss." You managed to say after a moment of awkward silence. He seemed to accept that and nodded his head. "Anyways, you said you brought more designs?" You perked up at that, rummaging through the side satchel you had brought with you, pulling out a few stray sheets of parchment. You handed them to him, letting them file out atop the desk. His eyes seemed to scan across the pages, curiously examining which ones he deemed were fit. Picking out one of your more gothic designs, with dark blacks and blues, a cute ruffle dress on one of his cute bunny plushies. He liked this one.
"This will be the first design we make a prototype of." He hummed, stepping out of his chair to grab one of the many books on his vast shelves, placing the paper inside of a page, before slamming it shut and placing it back into its spot. He turned to you and clapped his hands together. "Now, would you care to join me for tea?" He asked it so casually you almost forgot you were here for a business meeting. Nodding your head, you stood up, ready to follow him to an equally lavished dining room, almost excited to see more of the manor. He walked towards the door, leading you down the hallway, passing a few large portraits as you walked. You let your eyes scan over the wallpaper and paintings, some simple, some more complicated. Your gaze falling back on him, you recalling took in his smaller frame, he looked so delicate when he wasn't pretending to be this high and mighty Earl he named himself earlier. Walking with him, the two of you came to these tall doors, opening to reveal a rather large dining room, a gorgeous white table in the center of it, far to big for someone who's the sole family member. You looked to see who opened the door, noting it wasn't Sebastian, it was a maid this time, with large cracked glasses. You bowed your head at her, which seemed to frighten her, making her fumble about and quickly flee the scene. Deciding to shrug it off, you made your way to one of the chairs, taking a seat in it. Now you saw Sebastian, emerging from what you could only assume was the kitchen. He brought with him a rather large wheeling tray of sweets and small tea sandwiches. You smiled to yourself at the delicious sight, you had never seen food so fancy in your whole life. This was stuff that the expensive pastry shops would have on display, never something you thought you'd be able to actually eat. Sebastian poured two cups of tea, handing one to you and the other to Ciel. You looked down at the amber liquid and couldn't help but smile at your reflection, it looked like someone you didn't recognize.
Ciel began to eat his sweets with a casual demeanor , sipping on his tea every now and again. Glancing around you couldn't help but ask. "How many servants do you have? I've only seen two since being here." Ciel perked up at that, shooting you a glance before straightening his posture. "I have Four servants, Sebastian, whom you've met, then there's Bardory, the chef, Finnian, the gardener, and Mei-rin, the maid." He said with a dismissive wave of his hand, taking another sip of his tea. You nodded, hearing him, but not quite understanding. How could there possibly only be four people attending to this entire house? You decided not to dwell on it too hard, and finally decided to enjoy your pastries. Grabbing a little tea cake, you bit into it with a surprised hum. It was delicious.
He offered for you to spend the night, something you normally would have declined, but it was such a far ride back to your run down apartment, and the idea of staying in this massive manor overnight was simply too good of an offer to pass up. Making your way upstairs, you found clothes sitting upon the bed where you'd be staying. It was a simple white nightgown, nothing too fancy, yet it looked to be made out of the finest silk and it fit you perfectly, somehow. After you changed, you decided to get ready for sleep, laying down in the large queen sized bed. It practically swallowed you up with how soft and big it was.
You fell asleep rather fast that night, but at some point, maybe a little past three in the morning, you awoke. Rolling over in bed, you decided you might get up. Walking down the halls of the manor, lit lantern in hand, you couldn't help but admire the many paintings. Hearing a noise, you almost jumped out of your skin, that was until you saw him standing at the end of the hall, the butler. "Something troubling you My lady?" He asked in that smooth baritone. You chuckled a little before speaking. "I couldn't sleep, typical isn't it?" You say with a hum, looking out the hallway window. He walked over to you, pausing next to your figure. "Hardly, the young master has a hard time sleeping as well" He hummed, holding a lantern of his own. Looking up at him, you really took in the time to admire his features in the moonlight, he looked devilishly handsome, almost inhumanly so. Tilting your head, you were about to say something, but found it halted in your throat, you didn't quite know why, but you had this gut wrenching feeling that you shouldn't ask him what you wanted to. Sensing your hesitation he spoke instead. "Yes? Is something troubling you?" He asked softly, turning to face you fully. Deciding against your gut, you asked him anyway. "You feel... almost perfect" You said quietly, your eyes still focused on the window, picking some random tree outside to center your concentration on. "Everything you do has this air of quality to it, like you can never make a mistake, and I was just wondering.. how?" You asked him like he would actually answer, you knew he wouldn't but you still decided to ask the question. "Well, I'm simply one hell of a butler" He said with a smirk, his burning deep brown... or were they red..? Either way, his eyes made contact with your own. You couldn't help but chuckle at the joke, it was a bad one, but it still had its charm. Dropping the matter, you simply stood with him for a while before growing suddenly tired. "Here, let us get you to your room" He hummed, grabbing your arm and leading you back down the hallway to the respite of your room. Once inside and on the pillows, you fell fast asleep, the last of your vision spotting him blowing out the candles. You could almost swore you saw his eyes glow in the darkness.