Cordelia heard a knock at her master's door, and hesitated. Jeremiel had told her not to open the door, as he was expecting some dangerous men and did not want her to be around them. But her master had left, leaving her with his injured eldest Brother after the Archangel had thrown a dagger at him. Cordelia fretted; she never disobeyed Jeremiel, but leaving a guest at the door would be rude too.
Gabriel winced as he pushed himself up from the chair. "Do not worry yourself about Jeremiel's order, Cordelia. I'll get it."
Cordelia wrung her hands, more nervous than before. "But Seraphim Gabriel, you're hurt!"
"I'll survive. But some fresh water for cleaning my wing would be appreciated." He continued down the hallway to the door, pushing against the wall to help keep himself upright.
Raphael waited in the slowly starting rain, Remiel lying unconscious across his arms. Gabriel's face fell, seeing the sadness in Raphael's green eyes. "What happened to Remie-" Gabriel's words were cut off by a gag as he caught a glimpse of his Brother's limp and bare wings, bleeding from their assault.
"Help me get him inside, I'll explain as we clean him up." Raphael followed Gabriel down the hall, kicking the door behind him closed.
"Cordelia?!" Gabriel called out. "We need more help!"
The maid hurried into the parlor at the Seraphim's becoming, crying out as she saw Remiel in Raphael's arms. The unconscious angel stirred momentarily at the shriek, and fell limp again.
"Cordelia, could you please put down a clean sheet on the table so I can put him down?" Raphael tried to keep his voice calm, to keep the situation under control. Once his request had been fulfilled, Raphael gently laid his Brother on the table, rolling him onto his stomach. Cordelia returned with a small pillow, placing it under the unconscious man's head. The three angels stood around Remiel, unsure of how to begin to help him, the silence heavy in the room.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Uriel left Zerachiel on his rooftop, with promises to return if he found out anything about Remiel. The Seraphim thanked the messenger, and leaned his head back against his chimney. The rooftop, once a place where he planned his mischief, now a solemn sanctuary from so many things that had gone wrong.
–Sure, I'm free from Azrael right now, but at what cost to Remiel?–
The rain had begun to patter softly on the shingles, but the angel took no notice. He stared out into nothingness and across everything, his vantage point allowing him to see so much more of the Kingdom that had no longer brought him happiness. Zerachiel sighed. He felt like he was letting the others down; he wasn't looking for Remiel because he knew exactly where the Twin Archs were going to take him. He should have been looking for Orion and Emilia, but something in his mind told him she was safe, and Orion wasn't like the others. But the terrible feeling still gnawed at his gut.
Sliding down the rooftop, flaring his wings out to catch himself from the fall, Zerachiel landed neatly on his feet on the soft grass. He entered his home, taking off his wet boots and tunic, padding quietly to his bedchamber wearing only his trousers.
Victoria noticed her new master make his way to his chambers, and especially took note of his grey demeanor. She curled her hair around her fingers, not sure about what to do. She knew what Michael always wanted when he was feeling down, but his elder Brother was a different man. "Ophelia? Are you busy?"
The smaller maidservant put down her knitting, and hopped from her chair. "No, what's going on?"
"Seraphim Zerachiel just went by to his chambers, but he looked awful upset about something. Should we... should we try to go help?" Victoria's hair wound tighter around her fingers.
Ophelia reached up and detangled her friend's hair. "It couldn't hurt to try. You start a tea, I'll prepare a tray of pastries I made earlier. Besides, the worst thing he can do is say he wants to be alone, right?"
Before the girls could reach the kitchen, a knock on the door diverted their attention. Ophelia offered to answer, as Victoria was still shaken from her first encounter with Azrael. Victoria continued on with their preparations for their master, and Ophelia blushed as she found Uriel waiting outside her home.
"Oh! Hello, Uriel, how are you doing tonight?" Ophelia's wings fluttered happily as she stepped aside to let the messenger angel in.
"Hello, Ophelia, ah, is Seraphim Zerachiel around? He wasn't on the roof anymore and I really need to talk with him..."
Her wings dropping slightly, Ophelia nodded. "Yes, he went into his chambers. He seemed upset about something. We were just getting tea and pastries to offer him. Would you like to join us in the parlor perhaps, and you can chat with him there?"
"I can't right now, little doll. It's Remiel, we've found him. The Ruler stripped his wings bare. We need Zerachiel to help us."
Hearing Uriel's news, Victoria gasped and dropped the pair of empty cups she held. "His wings are stripped? That must have been absolutely awful!" She looked down at the shards of the cups, smashed on the ground. "Oh, dear, watch out for my mess, you two."
Ophelia turned pale, imagining the pain that Remiel must have been through. "I'll go get Seraphim Zerachiel. But perhaps Seraphim Raphael would know more, maybe he has read something for healing in the library that we can use to help?" She scurried down the halls, heading toward the bedchambers.
"Seraphim Zerachiel? I don't want to disturb you, but Uriel is here for you, he says it's rather urgent... he says they've found your Brother," Ophelia called out to her master through the door, and she could hear him cursing quietly to himself after she heard a small crash. She tried to suppress a smile, knowing he likely slammed his foot into the chest at the end of his bed again.
The door opened, and Zerachiel slicked his silver hair back with his hand as he looked down at the small maid. "Thank you, Ophelia. Is Uriel still here?"
"Yes, I believe so."
"Excellent. Before I worry about my Brother, I will tell you the same thing I told Uriel on the roof earlier," he knelt down, getting closer to Ophelia in height. "If anyone in this damned Kingdom deserves to be happy, it is you two. Don't worry about whether I am home to wait for my permission to go. Just go. You have my permission from here on out. I have told both of you now. Happiness is so fleeting, take it while you can."
Ophelia teared up at Zerachiel's words, and jumped forward, embracing him. "Thank you, Seraphim Zerachiel. You're a good man. You've done so much for Victoria and myself since your Brother disappeared, and I really cannot thank you enough."
She stepped back, and Zerachiel stood, ruffling her silky blonde hair. "Well, let's go see what Uriel has to say."