AN: I always wanted to know more about Apollo's childhood and growing up with Dhurke and Nahyuta, so I decided to write a story about it. And I also used this opportunity to write baby!Apollo, because baby!Apollo is just precious and cute. 3

This work is not beta-read, so please feel free to tell me if you find any mistakes! :)

Age One

"Are you sure that it will not be an inconvenience if I bring him with me?" Jove asks in a worried tone, cradling his currently sleeping infant son in his arms while picking up his guitar. "He's not in a very good mood today either… if you want, I can come another time, when my wife can take care of him, or…"

"It is quite alright," Dhurke assures him. "We're used to it anyway; our son wasn't the easiest baby either."

He laughs out loud at the memory, which causes the baby in Jove's arms to stir and lift his head.

"Well, it seems like someone's awake!" Dhurke reaches out his hand and softly ruffles the small child's brown hair. "Hello there, young man! Did you have a good nap?"

"His name's Apollo." There's quite a bit of pride in Jove's voice. "He'll turn one in July. Apollo, this is Dhurke, a friend of mine. Say hello."

The baby watches Dhurke with large and intelligent dark-brown eyes. "… 'lo."

"Nearly one year old, huh? Why, you're quite a big boy already, aren't you!"

Apollo furrows his brow a bit and it almost seems like he is considering what Dhurke has just said. Then, suddenly, he goes back to hiding his face against Jove's shoulder.

Jove smiles apologetically. "Sorry. As I said, he's a bit sulky today. Usually, you're a lot more cheerful than that, aren't you?" He gently rubs his son's back.

Apollo gives a very frustrated sounding sigh, and his tiny hands bury themselves in the fabric of his father's jacket.

Dhurke laughs. "Apparently, even babies have their off days, huh!"

They head off to the Royal Residence soon after, where Apollo shows a tiny bit of his cheerful side when meeting Dhurke's two-year-old son Nahyuta. However, much to Nahyuta's disappointment, the two don't get to play with each other, as it is Nahyuta's bedtime already; and it would be Apollo's as well, but he firmly – and loudly – protests against each of his father's attempts to put him to sleep. In the end, Jove gives up, and Apollo is allowed to sit in Dhurke's lap and listen to his father perform songs for him and his wife Amara. By the time he finishes the last song, Apollo is fast asleep, and Dhurke invites them to stay the night, showing Jove to a guest room where he and Apollo can stay in. When he is on his way back, he is met by a crying, distraught Nahyuta who has apparently had a bad dream. Any attempt of Dhurke to calm him down fails; he just continues to talk about how they need to leave, so Dhurke, takes him outside for a bit. They leave the Royal Residence and walk to the Tehm'pul Temple, and Dhurke shows his son a few star constellations, and finally, he seems to calm down.

By the time, they return to the Royal Residence, it is already on fire.

At first, Dhurke is in shock. He cannot move. He stares at the burning building, his home, hears the crackling sound of the fire, and smells the smoke, and then he looks around, and doesn't see Amara anywhere… nor Jove and Apollo… which means…

"Watch my son for a moment, would you?" he says to a member of the Royal Guard standing nearby, and the man barely has time to nod, before Dhurke turns and runs towards the building, and enters.

It is hot, he can barely see and the smoke fills his lungs almost immediately. Coughing, he calls out for Amara, as he tries to navigate his way to the kitchen where he has seen her when he was heading out with Nahyuta earlier. The sound of the roaring flames and falling debris is filling his ears… but he can also hear the faint sound of a baby crying, also seemingly coming from the direction of where the kitchen must be, which means they must all still be in there, as Jove would not have left without Apollo.

He does not know how he manages to find the way, but after a few minutes of stumbling through the smoke, he finds the doorknob and bursts open the door.

The smoke in here is not yet as thick as in the hallways, and he scans the room quickly. Amara is nowhere to be seen, but there is Apollo lying on the floor, crying, in front of him the slumped, unmoving body of Jove who has apparently passed out, one hand still reaching for his son. There's an empty bottle lying not far away from him.

Dhurke hurriedly kneels down, takes the baby into his arms and, with his free hand, shakes his friend's shoulder.

Jove doesn't move.

Dhurke shakes him harder.

Still no reaction.

Is he….? He can't be…!

He grabs his shoulder and turns him onto his back.

Jove's eyes are open, but blank, empty, and unseeing. Blood flows down his temple from a wound on the left side of his head.

He's dead, Dhurke realizes, feeling numb. Something struck him in the head, apparently a blunt object, and it struck him hard enough to kill him almost instantly.

His gaze falls onto the bottle. And he realizes again.

Not something struck him. Someone. Someone has killed him.

Which means… this has been somehow intended. This fire has been intended.

In his arms, Apollo, who is still crying, turns and reaches out for Jove, clearly wanting a hug, not understanding that his father will never be holding him again. Dhurke pulls him back, cradling him against his chest, and with his other hand carefully closes Jove's eyes, murmuring a Khura'inese blessing. Then, he hastily stands up, still holding Apollo close to him. He needs to get him out of here as quickly as possible, and then go back for Amara.

The way out feels even more endless then the way in. Three times, he is nearly hit by falling debris, and, if possible, the smoke is even thicker than before, making him feel like he is going to be smothered by it any second. When he finally stumbles outside and into the fresh air, everything he can do is sink to the ground and cough. Dimly, he registers hearing people run towards him; then someone puts their hand on his shoulder, and he manages to lift his head and sees Datz crouched down in front of him, a worried expression on his face, a frightened Nahyuta clutching his arm.

"Hey man, I thought you were never getting out of there, are you alright?"

"I'm – fine," Dhurke croaks between coughs. "Here – look after him for a moment – ", he lays Apollo into Datz's arms, "his father didn't make it – I need to go back for Amara – "

"What?! Come on, you can't go back in there, Dhurke, you'll never make it out again!"

"But – Amara – I couldn't find her, I have to – " He pulls himself upright with all his strength and tries to head for the residence again, but Datz holds him back.

"It's too late, Dhurke, there's nothing you can do anymore! Look, the place is nearly caving in!"

Dhurke grits his teeth and fights against the grip Datz has on his arm with all his strength. It's not too late! It can't be! There's a faint voice in his head saying that by now, the building is almost completely burned out and there's no way she can still be alive, but he doesn't care, he needs to go in and find her –

"Do you want Nahyuta to lose his father, too?!"

That makes Dhurke stop struggling. He looks at his son who is so small, shaking with fear, and is still only two years old. The thought of him being completely alone in this world… he cannot bear it.

His gaze is still fixed on the burning building, but he does not resist when Datz starts pulling him away, until they are in a safe distance. Nahyuta grabs his hand desperately, and, almost on instinct, he bends down and takes him into his arms.

"Want Mother," Nahyuta says, burying his head against Dhurke's chest. "Where's Mother?"

In the distance, the roof of the residence collapses with a loud crash.

"I'm sorry, Dhurke," he hears Datz say softly. "I'm so sorry."

"But you are really sure this place is safe, Datz, aren't you?"

"Absolutely positive. Nobody but me knows about it. They won't search for you here."

Dhurke nods. "Then we'll stay here. Won't we, boys?"

He doesn't get an answer. Nahyuta is intensely studying a dusty book he has found in a corner of the little house high up in the mountains that is their new home now, even though he cannot read yet, and Apollo is happily playing with the little plush dog Datz has brought him from the bazaar – a place that Dhurke is not likely to visit again anytime soon. He is a wanted man now. The people believe him to be the murderer of their previous queen and a manipulating lawyer who fabricates evidence, and he most likely will be arrested the second he is discovered by the new queen's henchmen.

An ear-shattering cry abruptly pulls Dhurke out of his thoughts: Nahyuta has apparently gotten tired of the book and is now trying to take the plush dog from Apollo in order to have a look at it, too, but Apollo is clinging to it with all his might, screaming at the top of his lungs.

"Nahyuta, let him have it." Dhurke gets up from his chair, walks over to where they are sitting on the floor, and gently tugs his son's hand away from the toy.

Nahyuta pouts. "Want doggy."

"You can play with it, too, son, but let him finish playing with it first. It's his toy after all."

The boy is still pouting at him. Then he jumps to his feet, grabs his book, and runs into the direction of the bedroom he is currently sharing with Apollo.

Dhurke sighs, and is about to go back, but Apollo lets out another protesting scream and holds out his little arms for a hug, so he picks him up and carries him over to the table, where he settles himself in his chair again, and sits him in his lap.

"That's quite the voice you have there, young man," he tells him. Apollo looks at him with his large, innocent eyes, then his face breaks into a smile and he giggles.

Datz laughs. "You can say that again! That baby's got chords of steel!"

Apollo giggles again. " 'eel," he says, sounding almost proud. Dhurke smiles and ruffles his hair.

"So…" Datz's expression is serious again. "…I have some bad news concerning AJ. I haven't found his mum."

"Oh."

Dhurke has been expecting this. After all, the only thing Jove has told him about his wife has been that she is some kind of performer as well, and that they are both from the US.

"Yeah…" Datz buries his face in his hand. "I think she heard that her husband has died during the fire, and, because she knew AJ was with him, she just assumed that he also died. I can't imagine the police would have been much help to her either, they were in complete chaos after the arson, with the assassination of the queen and all. So maybe, she just gave up in the end and went back to the US."

Dhurke looks at Apollo babbling to himself while playing with the hem of his shirt, and sighs. "So, his mother is pretty much gone, too, huh… well, our chances of finding her have been slim from the very beginning, anyway. Without a name or a face or anything to go by..."

"Yeah… poor little AJ… whatever's going to happen to him now?"

Dhurke sighs. "Well, he certainly will not be going to any orphanage, that much I'm sure of."

It is too dangerous. Someone, likely the arsonist who is also very likely inside the new regime, has already killed his father and left Apollo to die. And if that someone would find out that Apollo has survived and is living in the orphanage, what will stop them from finishing what they have started? Whoever it is, they have already shown that they haven't got any problem with killing a baby.

"So, what are you gonna do then?" Datz asks. "Maybe we could find a family who's willing to take him in. Do you want me to have a look around?"

In his lap, Apollo has now grabbed one of Dhurke's hands, examining it with a very concentrated expression on his face. "Oh," he says, tilting his head questioningly, when he presses one of his little hands against Dhurke's palm, probably wondering why Dhurke's hand is so much bigger compared to his own. Then he looks up at him and smiles brightly, and a strange feeling fills Dhurke's heart. He feels… almost proud of him.

"…I'll think about it," he says.

By the time Datz has left, it is already dark, and both children are in bed. Dhurke is on his way to his own bedroom, when he passes the door of the boys' room and hears the faint sound of one of the boys apparently talking. He quietly opens the door.

Nahyuta is fast asleep, but Apollo seems to be wide awake. He's sitting in his makeshift crib, softly singing to himself while playing with a corner of his blanket. Dhurke cannot help but smile. "Hey, young man. Still awake, I see."

As soon as he sees him, Apollo beams and holds out his arms, motioning for him to pick him up.

Dhurke sighs. "You really should be sleeping already, young man." But he takes him into his arms anyway, carries him out of the room and back into the little living-room where he settles himself in the old rocking chair, Apollo sitting on his lap.

"So, why are you still up, young man? Don't feel like sleeping?"

Apollo babbles something.

Dhurke nods seriously. "I see."

Apollo excitedly continues talking in his own little language. Dhurke nods along with whatever story he is telling him, watches him gesture dramatically with his hands, and feels that sense of pride again. He thinks about having to give him away to a family he does not know. He thinks about never seeing him again. And he knows that he will not be able to do this. He knows that he won't be able to give Apollo away, even if Datz found the perfect family for him. Because somehow, over the last few weeks, this small child has become his own flesh and blood. His son. And there is no way he is giving his son away to some strangers.

Suddenly, Dhurke realizes that Apollo has stopped talking and is now watching him, his big, dark-brown eyes bearing a very serious expression. He clears his throat. "Sorry," he says, "got a bit carried away there. What was it you were telling me again?"

Apollo makes a noise that almost sounds like a little huff. Then his eyes light up, and his little hands start reaching for the attorney's badge fastened onto Dhurke's collar. He squeals when, just before he is able to get hold of it, Dhurke catches his tiny fingers in his hands. Dhurke laughs.

"Not even a year old, and already a little rebel who tries to steal his father's attorney's badge. You're truly taking after me, son!"