•Y/N: Your Name
•L/N: Last Name
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Your POV:
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Ash leaves me in the drawing room to fetch the Queen. I shuffle in my seat every now and again as I wait, clutching Teddy tightly to my chest. Ash's words had comforted me somewhat, but this whole thing is absolutely extraordinary! I swear, if Sebastian or Ciel suddenly show up, I'm gonna pass out! I take a deep breath to compose myself as the door opens.
I move to sit straight, rather than hunched over as I watch the butler in white hold the door open for the lady shrouded in black to enter. Her steps are light, but I can hear her shoes tapping against the floor as she approaches me. As if it were on instinct, I stand up and give a respectful curtsy while removing my hat. I remain standing until she is seated across on a padded chair in front of me but continue to leave my hat off, opting to place it on Teddy's head instead. Meanwhile Ash stays to the Queen's side, as was expected. The man leans down so that she can whisper into his ear after some awkward moments of silence before giving a light nod and standing straight again. His amethyst eyes burn into my own as he shares her words with me.
"She says to you, 'Welcome, I am The Queen, Victoria. It is a pleasure. Might I ask for your name?'" I give a light nod and gulp to soothe my dry throat a bit, hoping my voice wouldn't crack or waver in an embarrassing way.
"It's a pleasure to meet you in person, your majesty. Oh, and my name is Y/N L/N. Forgive me if I come off a bit anxious. It's the first time I've been in the presence of royalty. It's all a bit surreal to me." I say politely without a flawed voice, thankfully. After we've established who we are, my anxiety goes down, and I relax some. The tense air seemed to disappear as she speaks softly to Ash again.
"'You have quite the talent, miss L/N. You're voice is magnificent, and it would be my pleasure granting you this permit personally'." She hands the angel an envelope, which he takes before coming towards me. I grab the paper from his gloved hands before he returns to Queen Victoria's side.
"Thank you, I greatly appreciate it. I must say, I was surprised to have been called here. It was a pleasant surprise, though." I chuckle lightly to ease my nerves even further. A light smile tugs at my lips. "Also, you don't have to refer to me as 'Miss L/N'. Y/N is more than enough." It felt strange to have my name said formally, and being called by my first name is the preferred option. The Queen murmurs something into Ash's ear, so he can respond.
"'As you wish, Y/N. I must ask, do you plan to perform on the same street?'"
"Well, I suppose so. I still don't know my way around yet. I'm still new to the country," I confess.
"'Yes, Ash has told me you're from America.'"
'Did he now?' I raise a brow at the man in white, who simply stands there with the same smile on his face. I don't press, for that information isn't exactly important, nor is it secret.
"Your majesty, I hope I'm not rude for asking, but why did you ask to meet with me? Surely, Ash could've given me the permit on his own." My head tilts slightly to show my puzzlement towards the subject. Something about this didn't sit right with me. There's no way my singing is so good that the Queen herself just had to meet me.
"'I see. You are quite perceptive. That's good. Yes, there is an alternate reason as to why I wanted to bring you here'." I wait patiently for the rest of the words to pour from Ash's mouth after Queen Victoria finishes whispering to him.
"'I would like to stay in contact with you in case your services are ever needed'."
"Services?" I mutter, only growing more confused. The lady in black nods before informing Ash on what to say next.
"'There are two things I desire from you. One is that I'd like for you to become my personal performer for events and gatherings. I can assure you that you will be paid handsomely'." My eyes widen in pure shock.
'Is she really offering me a job?'
"That would be fantastic!" I exclaim exactly, leaning forward in my seat a bit, before realizing whose presence I'm in. I blush lightly in embarrassment and tell myself to tone it down a bit as I lean back once more, keeping good posture. I see Ash's lips tug at the corners slightly to form an amused smile. I mentally glare at him for that look. I then blink rapidly a few times in realization before speaking again. "Oh, right. You said there were two reasons." Again, the Queen nods her head, the fabric shielding her shifting slightly with the movement.
"'Yes. Another thing I wish to ask of you is for some assistance. You work on the streets, close to our citizens. You can find valuable information easily within the chatter of your crowds. I have many working for me in similar ways, but having someone so close to the people can prove to be quite advantageous'."
'Is she serious?!' I am at a lost for words. My eyes are wide, and my mouth is slightly agape due to shock. I shut my mouth completely and nod.
"It would be an honor to work for you, your majesty. I accept both. I will be your performer as well as your eyes and ears on the streets." I bow my head in gratefulness and respect, throwing myself a celebration party in my head, for this is absolutely incredible! Ash lets loose a light, nearly inaudible chuckle before turning to the Queen.
"Your majesty, it is nearing noon," he reminds her. She gives a nod before whispering to him for a final time.
"'I wish I could speak to you longer, Y/N, however, I'm afraid I must take my leave now'." Ash assists the woman in standing after he says this.
"Oh, I understand. Thank you again." I'm given another nod before she whispers to Ash. He doesn't share her words this time, though.
"Yes, your majesty," he whispers back to her in a voice loud enough for me to hear. Queen Victoria leaves us alone in the room, going to wherever she is meant to go. I turn to the angel after standing up.
"You were right," I admit, creating confusion within the man.
"Oh, about what?"
"She really wasn't as intimidating as I thought." I take my fedora off of Teddy's head and put it back on my own. A smile grows on his lips, but he kept it small.
"Shall we go, then?" I nod my head and follow him out of the drawing room. He escorts me back to the coach that brought us here. The ride was spent in a comfortable silence until we reach the alley I had been picked up in. After I step out from the carriage, Ash asks a question.
"I hope you're not offended by me asking so, but do you have a place of residence?"
"Well, I do. It's just not here."
"Then, perhaps it would be better for you if I took you there rather than this dreary alley," he offers. There was no way I could accept, though. I'd like to keep my dimension jumping a secret...from him at least.
"No thanks. I want to walk around for a bit, so I can get more familiar with London."
"Very well, then." His smile falters. Perhaps he had an alternate motive? Probably wanted to find out where I live to stalk me or something...or I'm just being paranoid, but you can never be to sure with Ash.
"Oh, and don't forget your bear," he adds teasingly, while holding Teddy up for me to see. He waves the toy back and forth to taunt me, making me blush out of embarrassment.
"R-right." I snatch Teddy from the butler's grasp and pull the bear to my chest. "Bye, Ash."
"Farewell, Y/N." Ash shuts the door after signaling to the driver that he's ready to go. The coach soon rolls away after being pulled by the white horses, leaving me alone on the street with only Teddy to keep me company. Deciding to fulfill my excuse for not telling Ash where I live, I begin to wander around. I only took breaks whenever my legs grew tired, and I did go home once to make myself lunch, which was just a ham and cheese sandwich.
I decide to stop when it was getting late. The night consumed the sky a few hours ago, and it's about time I go home and rest. When I near the alley, however, someone runs into me from behind. The impact made me stumble forward, but I luckily stopped myself from hitting the pavement. I peer over my shoulder, ready to shout at the person for being careless until I notice that it was a little, blonde boy who crashed into me. I recognize him as the kid who danced with me earlier today.
"Oh, it's you." I blink profusely in surprise when he looks up at me with his big, blue eye full of tears that leak down his cheek. My brows knit together in confusion as I turn to fully face him. I kneel down and grab the sobbing boy's shoulders to steady him.
"Hey, kid, are you okay?" In the distance, I hear furious shouts from a deep, male voice. They were far enough for the words to not come out clearly. The boy screeches and runs into my arms to grip my coat tightly in his small fists, his tears dampening the fabric.
"Please, m-miss, don't let 'im 'urt me!" The child's voice is muffled by my coat, but I heard him loud and clear. My mind jumps into overdrive, finding a solution to the current problem. My eyes narrow in determination as I pull away from the boy and stare into his eye.
"Hey, listen good, okay?" I point towards the alley. "Go all the way to the end of that alley. There's a dumpster there. I want you to hide behind it. I'll take care of this."
The blonde nods, showing he understood, before complying to my orders. Once the kid is out of sight, I pull out the remote from my pocket and input the code before walking through the wall that glitches. Quickly, I run to my parents' room and open the nightstand drawer. Inside is my father's gun, which is used only in cases of emergency. It's only been used a couple of times, when he taught me how to shoot it.
I'm the only one here, and he knew I'd need something to defend myself if the house was ever broken into. Luckily, he always keeps the weapon loaded. I grab it before running back to the T.V. I punch in the code quickly with adrenaline consuming my very being.
After jumping through the portal, I'm greeted by the sight of a balding man choking the child. With narrowed eyes, I shoot the back of his knee. I wasn't aiming directly there, but it works just as well. The man releases an ear-piercing scream as he hits the ground. I run to the boy, setting Teddy on top of the dumpster, since I would have difficulty picking up the unconscious child with the bear in my arms.
I probably should've left him at home, but I was in a rush without time to think. Before I could lift him into my arms, my ankle is grabbed by the injured man. I scowl and kick him hard in the face, so his grip could loosen. I break his nose in the process. When he continues to pursue us, I shoot his hand. Another scream escapes him, while I quickly scoop the boy into my arms. I look down at the man and find him passed out due to blood loss.
'Shit!' I grit my teeth as I lay the blonde over the lid of the dumpster before returning home. I grab the first-aid-kit from the bathroom before returning. It won't do me much good, though. The man needs stitches. I wrap his wounds to at least block the bleeding after removing the bullets with a pair of tweezers.
'I need to take him somewhere. He'll die at this rate. I can't be branded as a murderer! Come on, Y/N, think.' I pinch the bridge of my nose as I thought. I have no idea where the hospital is or if there's even one nearby, but then it hit me. My eyes light up when my idea came to light.
'The Undertaker! I'm sure he'll have something that'd sew him up. This'll also give me an excuse to meet him.' I grin. I had passed his shop earlier today during my wandering, but couldn't bring myself to go inside without a good reason.
'To Undertaker's it is, then.'