Won't You Stay This Time?

Divulging Butler (Part 2)

~~Third Person POV~~

That night, Hannah drove the carriage as fast as it would go. Alois sat inside, breathing heavily and holding his side where his wound had reopened. He thought back to the times he spent in his old village with his little brother Luka. The villagers had treated them harshly since their parents had died, but at least then he had had someone who was always by his side. And the day he considered to be a blessing—the day the village burned and the villagers died—turned out to be a curse. The same day the villagers died, Luka did too. After that day, he no longer cared. He barely cared enough to stay alive.

It wasn't until years later that he was part of a group of boys being taken to the Trancy Estate. They were all stripped down to what was basically underwear and appeared before the Earl Trancy one by one. Alois had no life in his eyes by that time, which the Earl found disgusting and he beat Alois with his cane. That night, all of the boys were bathed and Alois overheard another boy telling a story about fairies you could make contracts with to grant a wish.

The very next morning, he tried it himself and met Claude, but he didn't have a wish to grant. Claude told him to come back when he had a wish. Alois woke up again in the middle of the night in his small cot between all the other boys. After that, finding a wish became a his purpose in life as he tried to look better to get on the Earl Trancy's good side. Eventually, the Earl declared that he was his long lost son and Alois saw Claude again. Claude told him that the demon that had burned down the village, killed the villagers, and then consumed his master's soul, who Alois assumed was Luka. Claude then informed Alois that Sebastian's new master was Ciel Phantomhive and that he was particularly obsessed with his soul. Alois ordered Claude to make Ciel his in order to avenge his brother Luka.

Shortly after, the Earl Trancy died and Alois cried over his casket for show at his funeral and released the other boys, preparing to enact his revenge.

Alois was brought out of his thoughts by the sound of a horse neighing. A tree fell and blocked the path they were going down. Hannah quickly yanked the reigns to avoid it, but the carriage came loose and crashed into another tree. Alois closed his eyes for the impact and opened them again to see a man with long red hair and glasses sitting in the carriage with him, smiling and waving at him.

"Hello!," Grell called.

"Who are you?!," Alois demanded as he began to sit up.

"What a shame!," Grell huffed. "Babes in arms are no fun at all." He then picked up his ledger and shrugged. "We'll do this quickly then. Let's see... 'Jim Macken': that's your real name. My, what a dreary name. Well, no matter I suppose. You are on Death's grim door!" Alois opened his eyes in shock at the words as Grell sat next to him. "Now, normally I wouldn't leave the office just for something like this, but as it happens we have a teensy issue with your soul." A cracking noise came from overhead, causing Grell to stop and the both of them to look up. "This looks bad..." Hannah ripped the roof of the carriage off and threw it aside. Grell looked at her in disgust. "Ugh, I knew it was a demon. You're not just a pretty face then. Where do you get something like her?"

"Hannah, kill Ginger here, would you?," Alois ordered more than asked and then winced in pain.

"Bloody little nipper, aren't you?," Grell sighed. "I don't want to fight, I just want to—" Hannah leaped into the air and jumped down on Grell with great force. Grell dodged and Hannah slowly walked towards him from the dust. He sighed and picked up his scythe. "Alright then, but I better be paid overtime for this."

Alois had been flung from the wreckage and huffed in pain, having lost a large amount of blood and still continuing to lose more. He thought about the first time he had ordered Claude to answer him with "yes, your highness" as he started to drag his body up a hill to a large tree. He thought about a time when Claude said he'd make one hell of a feast out of him.

"Then look at me like that!," Alois mumbled to himself. "Not the way I'd look at some villager's face... And not with the craving look the old man gave me... Look the way you did that day, like I'm all you care about... Please, Claude!" Alois lifted himself to sit against the large tree, having lost a large amount of blood and left it like a trail. "He's just hungry.. I know that well enough. My feelings are nothing more than a poorly made sauce clouding the flavor." A growl came through the darkness as a hungry wolf stared at Alois as he was dying. An easy prey. "But... now I'm here." Alois could see the wolf coming, but he didn't seem to mind. He closed his eyes as if to accept his death once and for all, yet the blood that splashed onto his face wasn't his own. He opened his eyes to see Claude holding the lifeless wolf in his hand.

"What are you trying to do, Master?," he asked. "Why are you here? Your goal is incomplete. You don't yet have Ciel Phantomhive." Claude threw the wolf aside and Alois crawled over to him with a smile.

"It's just you now. You're all that I have left," Alois whispered as tears began to stream down his face.

"Come now, Master, don't say such ridiculous things—"

"Shut up... Shut up. Shut up!," Alois cried. "You're the only one... You're all that I have!" He continued to sob as he hugged Claude's leg. "Hoheo taralna, rondero tarel! You can't ever leave my side! Never! Not you! Please, Claude. Don't you know... I think you..." Alois looked up at Claude. "You're my Highness!" Claude glared in disgust at his words before kneeling down in front of him and cupping his cheeks in his hands. He leaned in and wiped Alois's tears away and smiled.

"What a thing to say to a butler," he said softly. Alois smiled just before Claude crushed his skull in, killing him instantly and too quickly for him to feel the pain of it. Claude allowed Alois's corpse to fall to the ground out of his grip and took the ring from his finger. "Don't worry, Master. Have no fear. A crude little soul who gives his love to a butler... I could hardly work up an appetite for that. I'll keep you with me always." Claude placed the ring in one of the inner pockets of his coat. "I can use your soul. Indeed, I can."

"So that's what's going on," Grell called from the trees. "Yes, that boy was slated to die tonight, but the soul ledgers weren't effected. Well, I did assume that a demon was involved."

"Will you be taking him, grim reaper?", Claude asked.

"I just need to keep the accounts balanced," Grell replied. "I would just as soon watch how this all plays out. You see, I think it would be interesting."

"So does that mean that you've not taken Sebastian's side?," Claude asked.

"Taken his side?", Grell asked with a smile. "Please don't insult me with such an idea. The only true way for me to prove my love to dear Bassy is with a death match!"

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Author's Note:

What's up guys! Sorry for the short chapter, but I do have a quick announcement. Following this chapter, the rest of the story will be told from Claire's point of view through the last few episodes in order to focus on her perspective and that situation rather than repeating episodes you all have seen. I hope this does not upset anyone, but the decision has been made and I hope you all will continue to enjoy the rest of the book!