Chapter Text
Stolas age: <1 day old
Alfred sat outside the hospital room, twiddling his thumbs. He’d been told to come here by his majesty and wait for the arrival of the newly incubated egg. They had to keep it in the hospital while incubated as the doctors feared the egg was too weak and wanted to keep an eye on it. However, the egg had recently hatched, so Mister Butler had been sent for by his majesty. He assumed he’d help the King transport the baby back to his palace and help look after the baby for a few weeks, due to how weak the owlet apparently was.
Doctors kept passing by, not even acknowledging Alfred’s existence. He kept his head down, attempting to listen in to any news about the baby. He heard some hushed talking but couldn’t make out what people were saying. He kept his face stoic, trying to keep any form of worry out of his expression. On his lap was an imp plushie, when in comparison to the size the baby would be it was relatively large. Alfred had brought it with him, having bought it last week for the soon to be born baby. He smiled down at the toy before placing it in the chair next to him.
Also in the chair next to him was the hand held mirror he’d been told to bring with him. He was unsure why he was made to bring it, but he picked it up and turned it over in his hands, keeping his breathing steady. He took in the intricate details of the mirror, how the gold around the sides curved then turned into sharp points and how heavy the mirror was in his hand.
While staring at the mirror, a doctor came and stood next to him. “You're the butler?” The goat demon asked. Alfred stood and looked up at them, nodding. “Come with me.” The doctor said, walking through the door next to where Alfred had previously been sat. Alfred followed, picking up the imp plushie and rushing to catch up.
Inside the room, a few doctors surrounded a small cot, machines around it that beeped and monitored. The doctors moved, allowing Alfred to approach the cot. He stood on the tips of his feet and looked over the side. Inside the cot, he saw a small owlet, its face scrunched up. The baby had no feathers, its skin raw and purple. It appeared to have 4 eyes, all of them tightly closed. One of the doctors lifted the baby and helped Alfred hold it, taking the things he was holding for him. He cradled the baby close to his chest, looking down at it in awe. “He’s a boy.” The doctors informed Alfred.
He was so precious, Alfred couldn't help the soft smile that forced its way onto his stoic face. The poor helpless baby in his arms just laid there quietly and Alfred couldn’t help but feel protective of him. He looked up at the doctor, still holding the baby in his arms. “What name did the king decide?”
“Stolas.” The doctor stated. Alfred nodded and looked back down at the baby, Stolas. It suited him. The doctors spoke to Alfred, telling him how to properly care for the new owlet. He made sure to listen, convinced he’d have to take care of the baby for a few weeks before the royals or their staff looked after him. Then he would return to his butler duties.
That thought made his heart hurt a little, he couldn’t imagine leaving the baby before him to go back to his duties. He decided not to think of it now, instead holding the baby and signing whatever paperwork needed signing.
A few hours later, he was in a car with a newborn baby Stolas, unaware the driver was taking them to a palace separate from the Kings.
Stolas age: 11 months old
Alfred had not slept in months.
It was not Stolas’ fault. No, if anything the baby was the least of his worries. He cried like an average baby, sometimes waking Alfred in the night because somehow his imp plushie had fallen out of the cot. Plus, Alfred often had to carry the baby around in a papoose while cleaning, as Stolas would often scream if he could not see Alfred. However, the baby was rarely an issue. Even the pellets were easy to clean up after Stolas would regurgitate his food, much easier then cleaning up stray poo.
The main issue is having to raise a baby on his own while being in charge of the cleaning in the palace. Of course, there were other workers, however he had to sort out the scheduling and what work needed to be done when, while also trying to coax a tiny owl into walking.
Currently, he was dusting the old library while Stolas played on the floor. He was sitting on the dark blue carpet, his imp plushie next to him. He was currently babbling while stacking some blocks Alfred had given him. Alfred smiled down at the owlet, before turning back to the shelves to continue his dusting.
A few seconds later, he heard the blocks topple behind him and Stolas began to cry. Alfred quickly whipped around and scooped up the baby, hugging him close and shushing him.
“It's ok owlet.” He reassured, bouncing him. He picked up Stolas’ imp plushie and held it in front of Stolas. The baby reached out and made grabby hands at the toy and Alfred placed the toy in his hands. Stolas held it tightly, his crying stopping after a few moments. Alfred smiled softly at the baby, holding him gently against his chest. Stolas looked up at him, babbling.
At least, that's what Alfred thought he was doing until he heard the word “dada”.
He tensed up, looking down at the baby Goetia. He shook his head. “No Stolas. No dada.” He insisted, causing the small baby to pout. If his majesty found out Stolas was calling Alfred dada, Alfred didn’t believe his life would last much longer, despite the fact his majesty hadn’t seen the baby since it was a weak egg.
Stolas’ first word was dada. However, whenever he said it while looking at Alfred, the butler would correct the baby until it learned not to call him that. He ignored how it broke his heart when the owlet stopped calling him dada.
Stolas age: 3 years old
Stolas was a bright young owlet. Of course, he was only 3, but Alfred could already see how clever he was. Alfred had been teaching Stolas to read for a while now and the child was catching on quickly. In fact, Stolas seemed to enjoy the time they spent reading together, already having a few favoured picture books he demanded to be read to him before bed.
Similarly, Stolas loved counting. Often, he’d follow Alfred around the palace counting anything he could find. The number of books on a shelf, the number of portraits that covered the walls, even the number of doors in a corridor. Alfred couldn’t help the small smile that forced its way onto his face whenever he could hear Stolas count out loud.
Stolas still came with Alfred as he did his duties. He’d drag the cuddly toy imp by the arm as they went. He’d often talk to Alfred about whatever he could think of. For example, the tadpoles he saw in the pond as Alfred swept the leaves, or about his favourite colour as Alfred cleaned the kitchen. He always made sure to express interest in the young Prince’s words, even while cleaning, as Alfred’s questions made Stolas’ face light up.
The Owlet would play with his toys a lot. They practically scattered most of the floors of the palace. Alfred would often have to put Stolas to bed then begin cleaning up the toys in the halls for an hour. However, more often than not, Stolas would play near Alfred. If Alfred was cleaning a room, he'd turn around and see Stolas with his cuddly imp toy talking to himself as he played. Then, if Alfred moved rooms, he’d hear Stolas hurriedly pick everything up and rush after him. Alfred would slow down his walking for the owlet to catch up, often taking some of the toys from Stolas’ small hands.
However, Stolas would refuse to let him take the imp. So Alfred never tried, instead letting Stolas drag it on the floor.
Stolas also adored disney films. Specifically Disney Princess films. If Alfred needed some peace and quiet while cleaning, he would place Stolas in front of the television and turn on a disney Princess film. He would often have to while cooking, turning on Sleeping Beauty and listening to the film from the kitchen while he made Stolas’ food. The young Goetia could most likely sit there all day, in front of the television, watching Disney Princess films. Alfred would sometimes watch them with the owlet. One time, he was stitching up a hole in Stolas’ clothes while Stolas sat next to him, entranced by the film Beauty and the Beast.
Alfred had also noticed the owlet was developing an accent. Specifically, a rather posh British one, similar to that of Alfreds. Despite the King’s American accent, Stolas was very clearly british. This small victory made Alfred feel smug inside, serves his majesty right for not ever seeing the owlet in the 3 years of his life. Of course he was going to learn to say things like “zed” instead of “zee” when learning the alphabet with Alfred.
It often hurt Alfred however, to hear Stolas talk with a distinctive British accent instead of one like his parents. The young Goetia clearly viewed Alfred as a parental figure because there was no one else in his life. The thought hurt his heart, this boy deserves to be raised by parents who adored him and could see how bright of an owlet he was.
While Alfred couldn’t be Stolas’ real parents, he was determined to raise the boy properly.
Stolas age: 4 years old
Alfred’s quarters were across from Stolas’ own room. The room was a small one, much smaller than the Prince’s. He had a small single bed, a closet and a small bathroom, as well as a few drawings Stolas had given him. If he didn’t display them proudly, Stolas would get upset.
He’d made sure to be in a room nearby, should the young Prince ever need him. Which was often, as the Goetia had started waking up earlier. Alfred would often be woken up not by his alarm, but instead by a small owlet jumping up and down on his bed or running around the corridors with his imp plushie. Alfred would have to get up and rush to stop the owlet, explaining to him that “Princes do not run around in their pyjamas”. Although sometimes he would take just that bit longer to get up, having heard Stolas’ laugh in the hallways.
However, one thing he didn’t think of when deciding to have a room near Stolas’ was the Goetia’s nightmares.
Alfred was woken one night when the door to his room opened. Light flooded in and Alfred sat up, rubbing his head. A very small Stolas was holding the door knob, hugging his imp plushie close to his chest. It took Alfred a few moments to hear the sniffling coming from the owlet.
“Mister Butler?” Stolas said through sniffs, holding the door tightly. Alfred turned on the light by his bed. He stretched and sat on the edge of the bed, looking at Stolas. He was unable to keep the worry out of his blank expression.
“What’s wrong Stolas?” He asked, yawning and blinking the sleep out of his eyes. Stolas walked over to the bed and sniffed, rubbing his eyes with the fist that wasn't clutching his imp.
“I had a horrible dream.” The Prince said through sniffles. He kept rubbing his eyes, trying to stop the tears. Alfred frowned and yawned, picking up the small owl and hugging him.
“A nightmare.” He corrected, holding the Goetia in a gentle hug. Stolas continued to sniffle and cry.
“I looked all over the palace and I couldn’t find you.” He explained, throwing his arms around Alfred and crying harder. Alfred frowned and stood up, holding the Goetia tightly against him.
“Your highness.” He started, talking to the owlet softly. “I’ll never be far enough that you can’t find me, I promise.” The butler promised quietly, holding the small owl gently. As the owl cried, the imp walked out of the room and down the corridor, towards one of the many living rooms. He continued to comfort the young Goetia, humming a simple tune to get the owl to calm down. He sat down on the sofa with the Prince in his lap, humming quietly as Stolas calmed down. His crying had dyed down now.
Alfred turned on the tv and put on Cinderella. That caught Stolas’ attention, he took his head away from where it was buried in Alfred’s chest and turned towards the tv. As the castle appeared on screen, Stolas had half turned so he was still hugging Alfred but could also see the screen now.
The film made Stolas relax. He was still gripping his imp plushie and hugging Alfred, but the tears had dried up. Alfred allowed a small smile on his face and hugged the young Goetia closer as the film played, glad he was able to comfort the boy and get him to calm down.
Because, after all, the nightmare was silly. Alfred would never be out of the Princes’ reach, should Stolas need him.
Soon, he looked down and noticed Stolas was asleep. His grip on his imp plushie was still tight, but all four of his eyes were closed and his breathing was slow. Alfred turned off the film, careful not to jostle the owlet in his arms, then picked up Stolas and walked back to the Prince’s room. While walking, the imp plushie fell out of the Princes’ hands, so Alfred had to crouch to pick it up while trying to still not wake up the Goetia. He steadied himself when he stood up, freezing and making sure Stolas was still asleep. When he was sure he was, he walked into Stolas' room and placed him gently on the bed. He pulled the covers over the Prince and placed the plushie in his arms.
“Goodnight little owlet.” The Butler murmured, pulling the door shut behind him. He went to bed, only to be awoken the next morning by a hyperactive child once more.
Stolas age: 6 years old
The things Alfred does for this child.
Currently, Alfred was sitting at a very small table, in a pink frilly dress, with a bunch of Stolas’ toys. Stolas had been begging for a tea party all day, but eventually Alfred sighed and put the kettle on. He made sure the Prince was aware not to handle the tea pot, as it was hot and he didn’t want the Prince to get hurt. He put a tea bag in the tea pot then filled it with hot water, before getting a plate of mice for the Prince. After he placed the tea pot and plate down, the young Prince ambushed him with the dress. Alfred had of course told him no, but then Stolas looked so sad, the joy from his face fell and he stared at his talons.
So now Alfred was sitting in a pink frilly dress, serving Stolas and his teddys tea.
Stolas was happily eating the mice Alfred had served while talking to his cuddly toys. Stolas was telling all his cuddly toys around him about the books he'd been reading recently, giving them voices so they could talk back to him. He served Stolas a small cup of tea then added some milk to it as Stolas spoke for his imp plushie. “Yes, I have read that book. Toads are so cool,” the imp plushie agreed with what Stolas had been previously talking about. Stolas picked up his cup of tea and took a sip before moving to continue.
“No slurping your highness.” Alfred corrected, leaning forward and fixing Stolas’ grip on the cup too. Stolas looked at Alfred confused but held his cup as Alfred showed him. Stolas continued to talk to his cuddly toys about his books as Alfred fixed his dress.
The Prince turned to him while taking another sip of his tea, without slurping and while holding his cup properly. “Mister Butler?” Stolas asked, placing his tea down as gently as a 6 year old could. Alfred hummed, picking up his cup and taking a small sip as Stolas spoke. “What are we learning tomorrow?” He asked politely, staring up at Alfred.
Since Stolas was born, his majesty never mentioned any education Stolas needed to have nor who should teach him except that Alfred would have to tutor him. Alfred had put it on himself, hiring a few imps to help him here and there, but had largely become Stolas’ own private tutor. While Alfred did try his best to educate Stolas properly, he often worried about Stolas’ social life, aware the child didn’t talk to many people outside of the palace staff or his teddys.
“We’re going to continue multiplication.” He told Stolas, placing his cup down. “You’re going to learn your times tables then you have an etiquette class.” He explained, brushing down his dress.
Stolas nodded, grinning, and relayed the information to his teddys. Alfred listened as Stolas’ teddys all reacted to the information, picking up his tea and drinking some to hide his smile.
“You’re very clever Stolas.” Stolas put on a high pitched voice and held the teddy, pretending like it was talking to him. “You already know your 6 times tables!”
Alfred nodded in agreement. “He learns very quickly. Soon, he’ll be able to do his 7 times tables.” Alfred told the teddy, placing his cup back down on the saucer. Stolas gasped and looked at the teddy.
“Did you hear that Mister Honey? Soon I'll do my 7 times tables!” Stolas’ eyes shined as he looked up at Mister Butler in awe. “Can you do your 7 times tables Mister Butler?”
Alfred nodded, instinctively holding his hands behind his back. “Yes, I can. But they’re very hard.” He explained, directing his attention to the cuddly toy in Stolas’ hand. “However, the Prince is extremely clever and, I believe, will be able to manage it perfectly.” He said, a small smile appearing on his face as he spoke.
Stolas beamed at the butler. “I’m not that clever!” He insisted, finishing the plate of mice. “I struggled with my 6 times tables.” he pointed out, placing the plate down and picking up his cup of tea again. Alfred just nodded at that, pouring himself another cup of tea.
“You got it eventually, your highness.” He pointed out, placing the teapot down and allowing his new cup of tea to cool down. Stolas grinned and nodded happily, turning back to his cuddly toys to talk to them.
Alfred looked down at the dress he was wearing and smiled softly. At least the Prince was having fun.
Stolas age: 7 years old
Alfred knelt in the Prince’s garden. He was sitting in gardening gloves with his trowel and small rake. He had a book on gardening in hell by his knees which he readily checked to make sure he was doing everything correctly.
Alfred had decided to clean up the garden. It had fallen into disrepair after he fired the gardener. Poison ivy covered the walls, dead plants littered the place. It would take him weeks to fix the garden, especially since it was just him alone. Finding a replacement gardener who was actually competent seemed to be a trial and a half. He liked gardening but not enough for a whole palace garden. Either way, if he doesn’t sort out the garden until they find a new gardener, it will continue to die. He had to give his usual duties to other workers, even hiring another temporary tutor. He could tell the Prince was not that happy, he seemed less talkative with the tutor. Alfred did expect this, Stolas did seem rather shy when Alfred hired new workers. Still, the Prince would be alright until Alfred fixed the garden.
As Alfred dug up some of the dead plants, he heard a bush behind him rustle. Alfred’s head shot up and he looked around panicked. Was there an intruder? His hand moved slowly to his belt, putting his hand on his revolver. He scanned the bushes, making sure to keep his gun hidden.
“Who’s there?” Alfred asked, turning fully towards the bush. After a few seconds, the bush rustled again and out stepped Prince Stolas. “Your highness?” Alfred asked, moving his hand away from his gun. Stolas stared at him, hugging his imp plushie tightly.
“What are you doing?” The owlet asked, stepping away from the bush and standing in front of Alfred. Alfred knelt back down and picked up his trowel, digging up the roots of the dead plant.
“Gardening.” He explained as Stolas sat next to him, clearly interested. Stolas watched as Alfred continued to dig up dead plants. “The garden has died, your highness. I’m replacing the plants to bring the garden back to life.” He explained, tenderly taking a new plant out of the pot and putting it in the soil. Stolas placed his imp plushie on the grass next to him. He leaned over the soil and watched in awe as Alfred continued gardening. “Do you want to help, your highness?”
Stolas nodded and Alfred gave the Prince a spare pair of gardening gloves. The Prince pulled them on eagerly. Alfred let Stolas help here and there, giving him extra information about the hell born plants as they worked. Stolas looked invested, happily nodding and listening to every new piece of information Alfred told him. Alfred even let him plant a few of the plants as they worked, although he made sure the Prince didn’t get any soil on him or the imp plushie.
“How do you know all of this?” Stolas asked, looking up at Alfred with wide eyes. Alfred held out the book he had with him, showing Stolas. Stolas took the book from him, his eyes still wide and he flicked through it. Alfred smiled and continued his gardening, occasionally looking towards the beaming Stolas.
“You need to spread them out more.” Stolas said as Alfred tried to plant some seeds. Alfred looked towards him and Stolas showed him one of the book pages. Alfred smiled.
Stolas continued to give Alfred advice as they gardened. As they watered the plants, Alfred turned to Stolas, who was watering the seeds while he continued to read the book Alfred gave him. Alfred smiled softly. “You can keep the book, your highness.”
Stolas turned and looked up at Alfred, beaming. “Really?” He asked, shaking with excitement. Alfred nodded curtly and Stolas jumped up and down, overjoyed. “Thank you Mister Butler.” Alfred turned back to his gardening.
The rest of the day, Stolas helped Alfred with his gardening. Stolas told Alfred facts about the plants from his new book while Alfred showed Stolas how to garden. The Prince even gave Mister Butler some suggestions for plants he wanted in his garden. Alfred took mental notes.
A few days later, Alfred placed a plant in Stolas’ room. It was a large green one with eyes, one of the ones Stolas had practically begged for a few days earlier. He’d never seen Stolas grin so widely.