Children's Games (a Sebaciel Fanfic)

Part 54

Sebastian adjusted himself to a level of comfort and thought for a few moments before beginning.

"The western desert is exactly what the name implies. Hot, barren... full of sand and harsh grasses. But the valley of the Nile, it is lush and living." Sebastian closed his eyes, remembering. "The scent of the valley is that of flowers, and spice. Water lilies and marjoram. It is not so hot in the valley, and the lotuses cluster at the sides of the water, home for all breeds of little creatures. Lots of frogs... I remember there being choruses of frogs..." Ciel watched Sebastian as he spoke, little fingers still stroking his hand gently. Sebastian chuckled suddenly, smiling. "And sometimes the frogs would go quiet, and the water would be so still... and the crocodile would come."

"A crocodile?"

"Mmhm, many crocodiles. Big, old crocodiles. Sneaky and swift. If you listened to the other creatures you could avoid them, but everyone knew not to stray too close to the water's edge. Everything comes to the water, you know, so if you were patient and quiet, and found yourself in a secluded spot you could see amazing creatures." Ciel closed his eyes again, listening intently.

"Mmm. Like what?"

"Oh, camels, gazelle, hedgehogs, a few breeds of wild cat ... the desert lynx... beautiful cat. Elusive, but exceptionally beautiful. We used to sit in the Sycamore tree near to a bend in the river and watch them as the sun set. The colors of the sky there... you will never see colors in the sky like that here. Like an oil painting. So much... texture and life. And when the daylight fades away it grows so quiet, a peaceful evening chorus of little insects and toads. You can hear the little creatures in the sand and in the grasses. Sometimes, if the water is quiet, you can hear the crocodile moving." Ciel made a little sound, and Sebastian paused, glancing over at him.

"Keep going." With a smile Sebastian shifted, laying on his back as much as he could with one hand still held captive, closing his eyes and continued.

"The towns... they are bustling and full of busy shoppers. Outdoor markets, bushel baskets of the most fragrant spices sold by the cupful. And figs. The best figs. Even I could not resist one occasionally. They do not taste like that now. Not like they did there. The markets are bright and vivid, all the colors you can imagine in one place. Scarves and fans, the sounds of chatter and bartering filling the air. Everything glitters with gold, as far as the eye can see." He quieted a moment, the image intense in his mind and Ciel peeked an eye open to look at him, brushing his lips against Sebastian's hand lightly. "There are flower shops on every corner, small carts along nearly every path. Sometimes, just before sunset we would visit every one of them, and gather every iris in the market. Bundles at a time, so many we could barely carry them all. There was a spot she liked, near the river where the water lilies gathered, and the jasmine grew wild on the hill. She would lie down in a bed of the irises we'd collected and watch the sky. That was where I showed her beyond the stars. The scent of the jasmine on the wind, irises around us and lilies at our feet." Ciel listened intently, curious at how Sebastian spoke about the woman he had said was not to be discussed. "She loved it there. It was... almost Heaven. For a moment." As Sebastian opened his eyes, Ciel closed his quickly, pretending to be asleep. The butler smiled at him. "You can't fool me, kitten. I know you aren't asleep."

"Then keep going." Ciel smiled and opened his eyes. "Tell me about her." Sebastian opened his mouth to protest, but Ciel scooted a little closer to him, pressing Sebastian's hand against his cheek. The butler sighed and stroked his Master's cheek gently, ready to deny him, until he spoke again. "Please?" Sebastian turned on his side, facing him now and ran his fingers through bluenette hair. He nodded but stayed quiet for a long moment before speaking, weighing his words carefully.