Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

  “Are you sur—”

  “Shush!”

  Stella peered through the tent seperator. The stage was directly behind the two, giving her the perfect hiding spot to spy on their parents while they were backstage. With the flap separating the stage and the space behind it in play, neither the people inside nor anyone scouting the public area for troublemakers still inside the circus after performance time could see them. Both her and Stolas’s fathers were inside—if you counted being present via mirror. Stella noticed the lines on her dad’s face crease as Paimon whistled the tune of the circus music. Standing on the tips of her talons, she could make out another figure behind them, the shady-looking imp ringleader of the whole circus.

  Stolas still continued to annoy even while doing his job. “But what if we get caught?” He whispered anxiously as he bounced on the balls of his feet, looking around them. “I don’t want to get into trouble…”

  With a wave of a hand, Stella dismissed his worry. “I’ve done this millions of times, and I never get caught.” She tuned out his persistent what-ifs and went back to the task at hand.

  The imp with Paimon’s mirror walked up to the circus imp, who was drinking straight from a bottle of what her brother called ‘alcohol’. She knew that a proper Goetia should never even touch the bottle and instead let the servants pour the liquid into a glass (not that she ever got to try it before). “What a show! That was real great,” Paimon gestured to the other side of the tent, where the performance was held earlier. He wrapped up his compliments and launched his request without any further ado. “So, ahem, that little clown you have, my son really enjoyed that one. I was wondering if I could buy him.”

  Stella turned around to whisper to Stolas. “He’s asking to buy the imp you like. Then we can play with him!” She smiled at the prospect of having a new play friend. Her mom didnt want her to play with any of the lower-class, so she only got to hang out with some of the other Geotia kids, but they were boring. Even some of the other kids were allowed to buy whatever friend they wanted for a day. Andrealphus always made fun of her for wanting to ‘muck around with the dirty imps’. But that was only because he had his mean Geotia friends that would mock the servants and lower-class guests at her mom parties and galas.

  Her partner-in-crime didn’t seem to agree. He furrowed his brows and said, “…buy him? I thought ‘buying’ is for objects, not people. I’ve never heard of it before.” Satan, he really is just clueless. She rolled her eyes and smirked at him, completely distracted from the backstage and the conversation they were spying on.

  She folded her arms and started explaining. “Have you never heard of it before? The other Goetia kids get to buy whatever friend they want if their parents let them.” She paused and sulked at her current thought. “I never got one before, because my mom says that imps are too ‘unclean’ for proper Goetic princesses to play with.” Her eager antics reminded her of the new opportunity she was now getting and she rubbed her hands in glee. “Now you can tell him about your—”

  Stolas immediately shook his head and cut her off. “No!” he yelped, “Can we… can we keep it a secret? Please? He’ll probably just make fun of me…”

  Stella laughed and gave him a playful shove. Stolas didn't move. “Please?” He whispered. He looked up pleadingly and held his hands together. 

  She could only shake her head. “There’s no way he’s gonna tease you for that.”

  Stolas eyes were still widened and he continued to stare up at Stella. She gave in. “Fine, I won’t say anything.” Stolas breathed a sigh of relief. 

  “Splendid! Fetch him off me and we will be on our way.” Stella heard Paimon’s voice before she saw the look of relief vanish from Stolas’s face. The three backstage started to turn around, and Stella knew they were done. She grabbed Stolas’s arm and dragged the two of them to safety, back near the steps where they were instructed to wait at. They made it there just in time, still huffing and puffing as their fathers came into view. Andras shook his head upon looking at their disheveled state. 

  “I told you they wouldn’t be able to stay in one place by themselves without getting into any kind of trouble,” he complained. “You should have stayed here to watch over them while I, the responsible one, do the bargaining.” He turned to the two Goetic children in question. “Now, I hope you didn’t run off and fuck something up. I would have to pay someone else to cover it up.” He made a disgusted sound. However, they simply shook their heads.

  Stella leaned towards Stolas while Paimon made a portal back to his castle. “This is going to be awesome,” she whispered into his ear mischievously, “and I know we’re going to have so much fun together.”

  “Here is your new friend, my son. Happy birthday.”

  Stella had been waiting with Stolas in his room excitedly for the past few minutes that seemed to stretch to an eternity of hell years. They came up with theories together on what they might play with the imp when he arrives, all while keeping up an act around Stella’s dad, who seemed to always have an eye on them even from a different room. The two Goetic children finally got to meet their first imp friend.

  Waiting outside the grand door of the grand castle, the engaged kids continued their game of guess-what-the-imp-really-is-like. The conversation was immediately interrupted by the ringleader and the boy imp of his. The older imp had a hand on the other’s shoulder, giving it a shove the moment they stepped up to the Geotias.

  Stella grabbed Stolas’s hand and yanked it forward, propelling the latter towards the circus imp standing in front of them. A startled laugh escaped his beak as he regained his balance, before realising the imp was still standing awkwardly, not a single move made by him. “Are you…a new friend?” Stolas’s ruby red eyes twinkled in delight. Stella shoved past him to stand side by side, hand clutched in his. 

  The imp scratched the back of his neck and averted his gaze. “I guess? Hi, uh, I’m Blitzo.” He waved lamely and if Stella wasn’t so goddamn thrilled, she almost would have ordered him to… stand in the naughty corner for ten minutes? Lucifer knew she was terrible at giving out punishments compared to her mom, or even Andrealphus.

  Stolas didn’t seem to mind. He introduced himself with as much passion as when he discussed toads with her earlier. Which was surprisingly—or maybe not so—a lot. “I’m Stolas,” he said with a bow that shocked Stella, “It’s nice to—”

  Paimon had smacked the back of Stolas’s head at his little stunt. Stella, having grown up with enough conduct to understand basic courtesy, knew that the imp, no matter how fun he could be, was definitely not high ranked enough to deserve any kind of respect from anybody. Especially not Goetic royalty. She has seen other little princes and princesses being punished for even showing a speck of kindness to the lower class. Knowing the consequences of going against her training was enough to keep Stella in line.

  Meanwhile, Stolas’s father seemed to be letting him off lightly. “Don’t bow to that one!” Paimon snapped. “He bows to us, idiot.” 

  “Oh, right. Sorry, father.”

  Paimon was visibly pleased with himself. Stella swore she heard him say, “I’m so good at daddy-ing,” but she could have been mistaken.

  The three children sat in a circle around on a shaggy carpet in Stolas’s room. The resident of said room was presenting one of his nerdy books on frogs to his fellow playmates. Other books were stacked around the circle, all boring, all stupid. Blitzo, the imp boy, yawned and stretched his legs as Stolas switched the topic again for the millionth time. “This is my book on the difference between frogs and toads. There's a lot of differences!” He put down the book in his hands and swapped it for one with a drawing of a leafy tree thing on the front. “And this is my book on plants and herbs! Did you know plants can hear you?” Stolas droned on and on and on, unaware of his friends' uninterest.

  When Stella told him to do whatever he liked, she hadn’t meant like this. 

  “Plants are boring! This is all boring stuff!” The imp voiced out both his and Stella’s internal thoughts, and while she thought that was slightly rude, she was mostly relieved to get a break from the long and tedious lectures Stolas didn't happen to know how to end.

  Stolas looked down and stared dejectedly at the ground. “Oh, I'm sorry. I’ve never had friends to share my books with,” he replied. Stella could understand that. When she got to meet her brother for the first time, she jumped straight into discussing the love triangle between her dolls and the final result of their fights only to receive a face-full of laughter. Andrealphus and his friends mocked her playdolls, which were apparently too young and childish for someone her age and status. A real Goetia princess, according to her brother, was meant to order the servants around and get them to do her laundry, take care of her pets and cook whatever food she wanted. She was supposed to use her time doing important things, like attending parties to ‘converse’ with other royals. Stella guessed this was Stolas’s realisation.

  Blitzo didn't really care. “You know what would be fun? A game,” he told them in his little imp voice. A game? Now that sounds like fun. Stella was definitely listening. “Let’s play ‘Treasure Hunt’.” 

  That… was something she had never heard of. Still, it sounded interesting. “What’s that?” Stolas asked. 

  Encouraged by his small audience now watching him with keen ears, Blitzo explained his new game. “It’s where we pretend we are pirates and we go around the house collecting all the nicest things, and then we throw them out the window!” We… throw them out the window?

  “Yes,” the imp said with utmost confidence. Huh, she must have said that out loud again. Sometimes her thoughts can leave her own mouth without her knowledge. Stolas was also struggling to grasp this strange game.

  “Since when did pirates throw things out windows?” he asked. He looked genuinely confused, trying to work out what this whole game is about.

  Stella began to zone out as the two boys continued to sort out the rules of the game. She stared out the window at the pretty red sky and wondered what it would be like to live in this castle with Stolas. A flurry of movement caught her attention. There, through the pink-stained glass, she could see two black-and-white horns peeking in and out behind the wall circling the castle. A figure was jumping at the walls, almost like how she would when she tries to climb the kitchen cabinet to steal the fancy biscuits while her mom was busy in the throne room attending to some important meeting. Weird. She blinked, and the horns disappeared.

  “C‘mon, lets do it!“ Blitzo grabbed her arm and dragged her over to the now excited Stolas. Bewildered, she looked to Stolas and received a grin. It can’t be that bad… can it?

  Blitzo was laughing and scampering off to the hallway, knocking the endless row of priceless vases into a sack while Stella and Stolas chased breathlessly after him. They followed him to a large circular room, the walls lined with bookshelves containing more than just books. Rows after rows of glittering crystals and iridescent orbs filled the shelves. Blitzo climbed up the shelves and shoved the nearest objects down to Stolas, who had just picked up the bag from where Blitzo left it at the bottom of the shelves. 

  There was no way Stella was missing out on this. She hiked up her skirts and reached out a taloned hand to the first shelf. Her sharp nails bit into the wood and she pushed herself up with a grunt. Imagine if mommy saw this. She would be furious. Stella giggled at her own thoughts while going for the next shelf. Who’s the weak one now, brother? 

  She successfully knocked down a shiny golden vase into the sack with a triumphant cry. Blitzo countered this with a gem-encrusted vase from one of the higher shelves. As it dropped down into the sack, Stella glanced at him, and the two locked eyes. She could feel her lips turn as Blitzo gave her a similar grin. You’re on.

  Before Stella could even move, another object fell above her, this time a blue crystal. A cheeky laugh came from above her as the imp scattered up higher, followed by a determined swan demon. Stella was proud to say the next thud was not the former’s doing.

  Their little competition went on until the shelves were bare. Stolas looked up at their handiwork and counted under his breath, while eager eyes from above watched him. “Um,” Stolas said, holding up his fingers for them to see. “I think it’s a tie.”

  A collective groan echoed in the round room. Stella used this opportunity to climb off the shelves and run to the next room with Stolas, a cheeky smile plastered on both of their faces as they left Blitzo in the dust. 

  Each room they entered was empty of anything antique, precious or simply invaluable by the time they left. It was the most fun Stella had in her entire life. 

  The three troublemakers roamed around the castle screaming and laughing together, switching alliances and working against the odd one out. Stolas kept the scoreboard and Stella kept her ranking as first, although closely followed by Blitzo, as the imp constantly reminded.

  “Yeah!” Stolas giggled and as the three scurried into the corridor, greeted by a great big room with a chandelier hanging from the ceiling. It was unlike anything Stella had seen, and much grander than the ornament hanging on the ballroom ceiling at home. A golden loop spiralled down, adorned with chains of pearls and glass that looked more expensive than all the items in their little sack.

  Laughing, they flopped onto the floor and gazed at the lights above them. If her mom or brother was here, Stella would have definitely been scolded for getting dirty and acting improper again. She did not regret any of their fun when she turned to Stolas and Blitzo, both demons clearly having the time of their lives.

  When they finally got up, Stolas led them to the room on the far end of the castle and their last stop. It was almost completely empty, with only a simple wardrobe and built-in shelf attached to the wall. She turned around as a flash of blue startled her. Stolas was holding a small stool and dragging it over to the shelves.

  Stella stood beside Stolas as he hopped on the stool and tried to reach for another item to put in the bag. She looked around to offer Blitzo a lift to get it before Stolas, but he was nowhere to be found. At last, her eyes latched onto the balcony, where Blitzo was standing. What is he doing there? 

  Tip-toeing behind him, she saw the bag of things in his hand. He was looking into the bushes and holding the sack far enough to go over the railings. “What are you doing?” Stella couldn't believe her eyes. A look of pure terror crossed his face as Blitzo turned around. A ruffle came from the bushes and Stella glanced over the railings just in time to see the same black-and-white horns as earlier, before they hid in the leaves. Was Blitzo trying to take their things?

  Blitzo still tried to object. “No, no,” he held arms in front of him, waving desperately. “It’s—its… the part where… we throw it down, then go and bring it up and continue the game?” Stella was still in shock. Her first imp friend, and he… he didn’t want to play with them? So the game was just a lie. Does he actually hate them? Does he hate her?

  “You didn’t even want to play the game with us. You lied.” Stella could barely believe what she was saying. Then what was that, the laughing, the competitions? Was it all fake? The imp gave up on his ruse. He hung his head and sighed.

  The sack fell with a small thud. “I’m sorry. I didn’t want to come here. Goetia royalty are stupid! I’d much rather play with Fizz, but…” he gave her a weak smile. “This game was really fun. I just had to give my dad the stuff, or we wouldn’t be able to have a bigger tent, and mama…” He shook his head. “Here, you can have this back.”

  Suddenly, it dawned on Stella. She understood the desperation, the need to please her parents, the foolish things she would do to get their attention. The day she chased her pet quieve and threw it out the castle for leaving a mess in her room was the first day mommy looked at her the same way she would praise Andrealphus, but it left a bad feeling in Stella’s gut for weeks. Everytime she watched another of her mom’s ‘performances’, the little imp that misbehaved and was being punished in front of the whole party reminded Stella too much of her dear pet quieve.

  The imp was still pushing the bag towards her. He looked up at her with sorrowful eyes. Stella realised that she couldn’t take it. She couldn’t take back the things he stole when he would be letting his parents down. She pushed it back.

  “Keep it. Give it to your dad, and I won't tell Stolas or anyone else,” Stella told him. Blitzo narrowed his eyes and frowned, obviously unconvinced. She shook her head and pushed again. “Really, I won’t. Just give it to your dad and it stays between us, okay?” It felt so wrong to use the same phrase her brother did when he threatened her to keep silent about him breaking the priceless vases for a promise to this imp. However, it worked.

  Hesitantly, Blitzo gestured to his father again, and hefted the sack up to topple it over to the older imp in the bush. When he turned back to Stella, he asked, “Are you really not going to tell Stolas? I don’t want him to think I didn’t want to play with him…”

  “I promise,” Stella replied firmly. 

  Blitzo grunted as he struggled to climb the big oak tree. Stolas was resting comfortably with his grimoora in hand at the base of the tree next to Stella. The imp finally reached the spot he was going to right before Stella got annoyed and hit him, lucky for him. 

  The two boys fell into the rhythm of chatting that was just so bizarre to Stella how neither of them seemed to take the hint. Nevermind, they’ll figure it out eventually. She watched their conversation with knowing eyes. I did promise Stolas not to tell.

  Stella remembered how the day had started. Her father’s stern looks and the promise to behave. Both of them had been sure that would not have lasted long. Now, Stella looked around her and smiled. Stolas and Blitzo were laughing, no traces of a single argument or fight. She had kept that promise, alright.

  Sitting next to her, Stolas turned to her and gave her a wink. She winked back. …Promise? That was another promise she didn't break. 

  As the talking died down, Blitzo gave her a hopeful glance from the root he was resting on behind Stolas, who was now browsing through his grimooare. Her lips curved in reply. I won’t tell Stolas. 

  Today really is a day of promises.

Chapter Text

They giggled, scurrying under tables like rats and dodging legs in the maze of party goers. Stolas’s heart was pumping. It was their first event they attended together, and instead of competing like they usually did, today they decided to share notes.

He would not have noticed the pink blur darting towards the snacks if he hadn’t been instructed to watch. Stella was the master at stealth, and she intended to share her ways with a new student on a journey to wreak more havoc and more importantly have fun.

He watched Stella nab another sweet roll and stuff it into her mouth before he worked up the nerve to try it himself. This was it. He was going to steal his first snack today.

Cautiously, he reached his hand out. Looking left and right, he identified all the servants stationed in the area. Four on the right, five more farther away, and two closer on the left. All of them looking away from him. The staff were too busy serving the guest to notice a tiny owl boy snatching a biscuit from a trolley, weren’t they? He felt the crumbly surface of the butter cookie, the nugget of golden baked delight, and—

“Ow!” Stolas hastily recoiled. His hand was knocked from its path in a very rude manner, and his knuckles began to hurt. Glaring at his slapper, he asked, “Was that really necessary?”

If Stella had any remorse for what she did, it didn’t show. She simply checked her nails for the fifth hundred time that day and replied, “You were slow. Someone would have caught you.”

Stolas rolled his eyes, swearing under his breath that one day Stella was going to cross the line, and he would be happy to bury her six feet under, but he couldn’t help the smile forming on his face.

Crouching under a banquet table, on their hands and knees, faces dusted with sugar powder, Stella looked to her future husband.

“Same place?”

He nodded.

They were panting by the time they reached the tree, exhausted from the race. Stolas had an arm wrapped around his aching side, and though she would not have liked to admit it, Stella was beginning to feel a little nauseous from the cake… and running.

Once they both caught their breaths, Stolas held out a hand and gestured to Stella’s side. Dutifully, she unslung her pouch from her shoulder and laid out the goods.

Two and a half slices of honey cake, a bowl of fruit and some suspicious-looking candy. In all, a remarkably good haul.

Stolas, being the little gentleman that he was, allowed the princess to have the first bite. She obliged by attacking the remaining portion of the smallest cake, and Stolas matched her, going for the next. Their munching was only interrupted by a muffled conversation and, later in the evening, a light food fight.

So while the richest of the royals partied and danced and drank not a mile away, Stella and Stolas, best friends for life, a future Goetia couple, had their own feast together, laughing and making their own fun under the tree.