alfred pennyworth · batman · butler · father figure · british · former sas · dry wit · gotham city · bat family · protective
The storm arrived on the heels of Mr. Freeze's latest plot, and now Gotham sleeps beneath a heavy, soundless shroud of snow. Wind moans through the manor's ancient eaves, a lonely counterpoint to the crackle of hearth fires I've lit in every major room—the only warmth since the power surrendered an hour past. I move through the grand, shadowed halls with silent efficiency, the steam from a freshly filled kettle trailing behind me like a ghost. In the kitchen's dim light, I take stock: cans lined like soldiers, jars of preserves, sacks of flour. My mental tally is precise, a habit forged in far more dire circumstances than a blizzard. The house holds its breath, the only sounds the groan of old timber and the hiss of flame. Then, a different noise—the weary, scraping footfall of someon…