Uriel almost tripped over his own boots several times. He was elated- not only was he able to speak to Ophelia, but she had agreed to go on an outing with him. –My luck must be beginning to turn!– She looked stunning in her cherry blossom pink dress, and her hair looked like woven sunshine. He wished he had dressed better, but he didn't know that this would be the day he would finally get to speak to Ophelia, so he tried not to beat himself up too much about his simple clothing choice.
"Where would you like to go, Ophelia?" Uriel tried to keep his voice steady; he didn't want his nervous habit of speaking too quickly to ruin his day.
"We did tell Seraphim Zerachiel that we would be going to the Palace Gardens, but you're the Palace messenger! Surely you know some beautiful places to go in the Kingdom that few of us know about. Why don't you decide? I've only ever seen the Seraphim homes, the Palace Gardens, and the library, most of my life is spent serving. Show me the beauty of the Kingdom."
Uriel wanted to tell her that the true beauty of the Kingdom was in her mirror, but didn't want to push his affectations on to her too early. "Well, until the... events that took Michael from us, the territory of the Archangels was all but forgotten to everyone but the Archs themselves. It's mostly a battleground, but they do have a rather enchanting forest separating their territory from the rest of the Kingdom. Would you like to see it?"
Ophelia looked up at Uriel. "Aren't they... dangerous?"
"Only if they have orders. I've met a few. Some are bad, like Azrael and Samael, but some seem okay. Metatron and Haniel have been kind to me the few times I have been in their territory. I just try to hope that the Twin Archs are the rare ones, the odd pair that are actually terrible."
"... and if the Twin Archs are with the Brothers, you think their territory is safer?"
"I would never let anything hurt you. But instead of their territory, perhaps we see the forest, but on the Seraphim side? We can see the beauty of it without going near the Archs." Uriel took his arm back from the tiny maidservant for a moment, wiping his sweaty palms on his trousers before offering his arm to her again.
"That sounds delightful, I would love to see it!"
The excitement in Ophelia's brilliant blue eyes lit a fire in Uriel's heart. To know that she was out with him, enjoying her time with him, and excited to see what he was offering to show her was exhilarating.
"Do you realm-travel? I think we would have a much nicer time in the forest than we would walking."
"I...I can, but I'm not very good at it..." Admitting her flaw so early to Uriel brought a flush to her cheeks, and she looked at her feet, embarrassed.
Uriel twitched his wings in excitement, trying not to let her notice. He gently tilted her chin up, making her meet his grey eyes. "May I guide you?"
She nodded her approval, still worried that the messenger would see her as less for being poor at a simple thing that all angelic beings should be able to do. Ophelia gasped as Uriel scooped her up in his arms, holding her tiny frame as if she was the most important and delicate thing in the Kingdom.
"Hold on, little doll."
Ophelia wrapped her arms around the messenger's neck, nestling her head against his chest to hide her smile at his little pet name for her. She felt the rush as Uriel stepped between the realms, taking them both to the edge of the Archangels' territory.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Metatron's voice rang out, deep and commanding.
"Men! Focus! We have orders for the first time in centuries and we are not to falter! To be unprepared is to be prepared to lose!"
Swords clattered against shields, iron against iron. The sounds of effort from the Archs echoed across the training grounds, and the smell of sweat hung in the air.
Metatron commanded again, fury in his shout. "Again!"
The two sides launched another attack at each other, having taken a moment's breath. "There is no reprieve in battle! There is no reprieve in training! Do not stop!"
From his vantage point on a small hill, Metatron watched as the Archs battled, four against four. He would join in the fray once he felt they were up to his standards; but since the Ruler had not called upon his warriors in centuries, he feared his Archangels had grown weak.
"Ariel! Block your left! You're leaving yourself open to Zadkiel!" Her shield slammed against her opponent in reply to the commander's shout.
"Chamuel, Haniel is destroying you! Are you a warrior or not?"
"Raziel, excellent! Jophiel, you're brilliant with short-range, use it to your advantage!" Both Archs raised a fist in acknowledgement of Metatron's praise before continuing their fight.
"Azazel, we are training! I like the enthusiasm, but you do not need to try to kill Sachiel!' The black-winged Archangel removed his knee from Sachiel's chest and his blade from his opponent's throat before standing and offering Sachiel a hand up.
"Men! Break!"
The clatter of iron and the screech of weapons against weapons ceased on Metatron's command, and every Arch stood to face their leader. He faced his warriors, each with their wings folded back, shoulders taut, and their chests pushed forward. The warriors stood with their shields at their sides and their weapons held closely in front of their torso, pointed downward; a sign of respect among the Archangels.
Metatron gave a nod of acknowledgement of the warriors' formation, and began directing the new battle partners. Jophiel was weak at archery, and he paired her with Haniel, the best archer next to himself. He continued to direct Sachiel to work with Ariel, when Azazel pointed to the flaming signal above the trees.
"Commander! Sandalphon has spotted something on his patrol."
Metatron turned, seeing the arrow ablaze in the sky as it began to fall.