Fic: A History of Heaven (Gabriel/Various Angels, PG-13 for most) 13/59
For full notes and other chapters, please see the Masterpost.
Notes: In this story, before Lucifer fell, his name was Sammael. He was not Lucifer in Heaven.
There is one other canon character operating under an OC name, but I wish for his identity to remain unknown.
Chapter Rating: PG-13
Chapter word count: 1,206
Chapter Summary: When the meeting is over, the Archangels have to face Sammael outside the Throne Room.
CHAPTER 13:
Sammael’s Banishment
Released from the Throne Room and the disastrous audience with their Father, the first thing Gabriel and Raphael did was turn to Michael, grabbing at him, tucking themselves against his sides. Gabriel felt like a fledgling again, scared of the dark unknown of the Void. Michael had never let them down then, and he did not let them down now. He swept his wings in, wrapping his brothers in a warm embrace. Michael soothed them with his grace, but Gabriel could pick out a thread of fatigue he had not noticed before.
“Michael…”
“Hush, Little One.” One of Michael’s wings swept along Gabriel’s face. The younger angel shivered at the feel of blisters raised from their Father’s display of wrath, and Michael withdrew the injured wing. “We have been given our orders. We must obey Father, without question. He is Right and Good. It is not for us to doubt.”
Michael’s voice was wooden, devoid of emotion or energy. Gabriel reached up to press his hand against Michael’s cheek, trying desperately to get something other than resignation from his oldest brother.
“But it is.” Sammael strode toward the trio, his grace blazing around him. “Do you know what humans call one who blindly follows orders? Stupid.“
“Humans are not angels.” Michael released Gabriel and Raphael, stepping forward to meet Sammael. “We do not live by the same rules.”
“You threw me out.” Sammael lashed forward with his wings, catching Gabriel and Raphael and shoving them aside. Clearly, he wanted this between himself and Michael alone.
“You were disrespecting Father. Humiliating us. Humiliating me!” Michael’s words were a low thrum, a hissing warning rising in his grace.
“I was standing up for our brothers. Defending them. Doing your duty!”
“My duty is to obey Father, without question! I am a good son!”
“You are a simpering sycophant!”
“You are a child!” Michael drew himself up to his full height, towering over Sammael, his massive wings spread to add bulk to his form. “Father has ordered us to serve the humans-”
“Humans are filth!”
Michael’s sword flashed in his hand and his wings twisted, the razor sharp of his feathers turning out offensively, shifting from soft feathers to shining steel. Gabriel cringed away from his brother’s battle-form. Was this really happening? Was this the end of peace? Was genuine war coming to Heaven?
“You will go to Earth,” Michael said, his voice booming with command. He was the Prince of Heaven now, not Gabriel’s loving big brother. “You will take a human vessel. And you will not return to Heaven without a direct summons until I feel you have learned your place.” Michael swept his sword forward, the point touching Sammael’s throat, just above the core of his grace. One shove here would instantly kill Sammael. “Do I make myself clear?”
Sammael looked down the length of Michael’s sword, then up at his brother’s face. “You’re banishing me from Heaven?”
“Yes.” The one word rang with authority, demanding obedience. Sammael looked as if he were about to protest, but he thought better of it as Michael shifted his weight for a strike. Sammael’s wings snapped out, and he was gone. Gabriel could dimly feel his grace falling to Earth.
Michael sheathed his sword but did not relax. “Gabriel.”
“Yes sir.” Gabriel snapped to attention at Michael’s side, not wanting to risk pushing Michael off the edge he was obviously balanced on with anything less than total respect.
“Deliver a message to all of the Seraphim. We will hold an audience in the Throne Room when the sun has reached its zenith, to discuss the changes that will be coming to Heaven. We have a lot of work to do.”
“Yes sir.” Gabriel readied his wings to fly, but Michael stopped him with a lifted hand.
“Gabriel, Raphael: Do not speak of what has just happened with Sammael. Heaven is about to completely change. Anything less than a perfectly united front from the four of us could frighten our younger brothers. They don’t need to know about Sammael’s current temper tantrum.”
Gabriel nodded his understanding, taking to the air as Michael called out Raphael’s name, giving his brother his own set of orders.
The hardest part about spreading a message to all the Seraphim was simply tracking them all down. Gabriel saved Cariel for last, practically staggering into his office to find his second. Cariel was at his side immediately, an arm slipping around his back to offer him support. “Gabriel! You look terrible! What happened!? Did Father-”
Gabriel cut Cariel off with two fingers pressed over his mouth. He waved his hand to close the door behind them, then another wave of grace blacked out the windows so no brother could see in without his express permission. Only then did he let himself crumble, sinking his face into Cariel’s shoulder. Cariel was his second, his support. Cariel alone of the younger angels was allowed to see Gabriel like this.
Cariel wisely said nothing more. He just shifted his hold on Gabriel to guide the older angel into his embrace, keeping him steady while Gabriel struggled with his composure.
Gabriel did not have the luxury of time on his side. Sooner than he’d like, he drew back from Cariel’s embrace, scrubbing his hands over his face. “There is to be an assembly of the Seraphim in the Throne Room at midday.”
“With Father?” Cariel asked, stepping back to give Gabriel space.
Gabriel shook his head. “With us, the Archangels. All choirs together.” Gabriel had alerted Sammael’s choir, though he wasn’t entirely sure what would happen to his angels while Sammael was banished to Earth. “I need… Cariel, I need reports on all the vessels taken by angels. I want to know who has had the most and least success with humans, what tactics work best to keep vessels from suffering harm after our use-or from suffering worship. Not just our choir; I need statistics on everyone. Who has had the most success interacting with our human brothers?”
Cariel jumped into action, rifling through Gabriel’s papers, snapping his fingers to summon Angels or Cherubim to fetch information from this garrison or that. Gabriel sank into his seat as Cariel worked, massaging his forehead with his fingers.
“Gabriel?”
The Archangel looked up as Cariel addressed him again, his dark eyes concerned as he studied his choirmaster across the desk. “Yes, Cariel?”
“What happened?”
Gabriel closed his eyes and winced, shaking his head. “Nothing. Everything’s fine.” The lie twisted in Gabriel’s chest, a knot of shame at being dishonest with Cariel, who had never done anything to earn deceit.
Cariel narrowed his eyes, clearly not buying it. Gabriel forced himself to open his eyes again and smile as brightly as he could at his second. “Really, Cariel, it’s fine. I’m just exhausted. Spent all morning in the presence of God with Raphael right there. Had to keep holding myself in check!” More lies, more guilt, more of Gabriel’s false smile.
“Father’s unhappy,” Cariel stated. “And Raphael was blaming you?”
“Something like that,” Gabriel said, waving his hand. “It’ll all blow over. Now come on, show me what you have already. Let’s pull this information together before the meeting.”
Next...
Notes: In this story, before Lucifer fell, his name was Sammael. He was not Lucifer in Heaven.
There is one other canon character operating under an OC name, but I wish for his identity to remain unknown.
Chapter Rating: PG-13
Chapter word count: 1,206
Chapter Summary: When the meeting is over, the Archangels have to face Sammael outside the Throne Room.
CHAPTER 13:
Sammael’s Banishment
Released from the Throne Room and the disastrous audience with their Father, the first thing Gabriel and Raphael did was turn to Michael, grabbing at him, tucking themselves against his sides. Gabriel felt like a fledgling again, scared of the dark unknown of the Void. Michael had never let them down then, and he did not let them down now. He swept his wings in, wrapping his brothers in a warm embrace. Michael soothed them with his grace, but Gabriel could pick out a thread of fatigue he had not noticed before.
“Michael…”
“Hush, Little One.” One of Michael’s wings swept along Gabriel’s face. The younger angel shivered at the feel of blisters raised from their Father’s display of wrath, and Michael withdrew the injured wing. “We have been given our orders. We must obey Father, without question. He is Right and Good. It is not for us to doubt.”
Michael’s voice was wooden, devoid of emotion or energy. Gabriel reached up to press his hand against Michael’s cheek, trying desperately to get something other than resignation from his oldest brother.
“But it is.” Sammael strode toward the trio, his grace blazing around him. “Do you know what humans call one who blindly follows orders? Stupid.“
“Humans are not angels.” Michael released Gabriel and Raphael, stepping forward to meet Sammael. “We do not live by the same rules.”
“You threw me out.” Sammael lashed forward with his wings, catching Gabriel and Raphael and shoving them aside. Clearly, he wanted this between himself and Michael alone.
“You were disrespecting Father. Humiliating us. Humiliating me!” Michael’s words were a low thrum, a hissing warning rising in his grace.
“I was standing up for our brothers. Defending them. Doing your duty!”
“My duty is to obey Father, without question! I am a good son!”
“You are a simpering sycophant!”
“You are a child!” Michael drew himself up to his full height, towering over Sammael, his massive wings spread to add bulk to his form. “Father has ordered us to serve the humans-”
“Humans are filth!”
Michael’s sword flashed in his hand and his wings twisted, the razor sharp of his feathers turning out offensively, shifting from soft feathers to shining steel. Gabriel cringed away from his brother’s battle-form. Was this really happening? Was this the end of peace? Was genuine war coming to Heaven?
“You will go to Earth,” Michael said, his voice booming with command. He was the Prince of Heaven now, not Gabriel’s loving big brother. “You will take a human vessel. And you will not return to Heaven without a direct summons until I feel you have learned your place.” Michael swept his sword forward, the point touching Sammael’s throat, just above the core of his grace. One shove here would instantly kill Sammael. “Do I make myself clear?”
Sammael looked down the length of Michael’s sword, then up at his brother’s face. “You’re banishing me from Heaven?”
“Yes.” The one word rang with authority, demanding obedience. Sammael looked as if he were about to protest, but he thought better of it as Michael shifted his weight for a strike. Sammael’s wings snapped out, and he was gone. Gabriel could dimly feel his grace falling to Earth.
Michael sheathed his sword but did not relax. “Gabriel.”
“Yes sir.” Gabriel snapped to attention at Michael’s side, not wanting to risk pushing Michael off the edge he was obviously balanced on with anything less than total respect.
“Deliver a message to all of the Seraphim. We will hold an audience in the Throne Room when the sun has reached its zenith, to discuss the changes that will be coming to Heaven. We have a lot of work to do.”
“Yes sir.” Gabriel readied his wings to fly, but Michael stopped him with a lifted hand.
“Gabriel, Raphael: Do not speak of what has just happened with Sammael. Heaven is about to completely change. Anything less than a perfectly united front from the four of us could frighten our younger brothers. They don’t need to know about Sammael’s current temper tantrum.”
Gabriel nodded his understanding, taking to the air as Michael called out Raphael’s name, giving his brother his own set of orders.
The hardest part about spreading a message to all the Seraphim was simply tracking them all down. Gabriel saved Cariel for last, practically staggering into his office to find his second. Cariel was at his side immediately, an arm slipping around his back to offer him support. “Gabriel! You look terrible! What happened!? Did Father-”
Gabriel cut Cariel off with two fingers pressed over his mouth. He waved his hand to close the door behind them, then another wave of grace blacked out the windows so no brother could see in without his express permission. Only then did he let himself crumble, sinking his face into Cariel’s shoulder. Cariel was his second, his support. Cariel alone of the younger angels was allowed to see Gabriel like this.
Cariel wisely said nothing more. He just shifted his hold on Gabriel to guide the older angel into his embrace, keeping him steady while Gabriel struggled with his composure.
Gabriel did not have the luxury of time on his side. Sooner than he’d like, he drew back from Cariel’s embrace, scrubbing his hands over his face. “There is to be an assembly of the Seraphim in the Throne Room at midday.”
“With Father?” Cariel asked, stepping back to give Gabriel space.
Gabriel shook his head. “With us, the Archangels. All choirs together.” Gabriel had alerted Sammael’s choir, though he wasn’t entirely sure what would happen to his angels while Sammael was banished to Earth. “I need… Cariel, I need reports on all the vessels taken by angels. I want to know who has had the most and least success with humans, what tactics work best to keep vessels from suffering harm after our use-or from suffering worship. Not just our choir; I need statistics on everyone. Who has had the most success interacting with our human brothers?”
Cariel jumped into action, rifling through Gabriel’s papers, snapping his fingers to summon Angels or Cherubim to fetch information from this garrison or that. Gabriel sank into his seat as Cariel worked, massaging his forehead with his fingers.
“Gabriel?”
The Archangel looked up as Cariel addressed him again, his dark eyes concerned as he studied his choirmaster across the desk. “Yes, Cariel?”
“What happened?”
Gabriel closed his eyes and winced, shaking his head. “Nothing. Everything’s fine.” The lie twisted in Gabriel’s chest, a knot of shame at being dishonest with Cariel, who had never done anything to earn deceit.
Cariel narrowed his eyes, clearly not buying it. Gabriel forced himself to open his eyes again and smile as brightly as he could at his second. “Really, Cariel, it’s fine. I’m just exhausted. Spent all morning in the presence of God with Raphael right there. Had to keep holding myself in check!” More lies, more guilt, more of Gabriel’s false smile.
“Father’s unhappy,” Cariel stated. “And Raphael was blaming you?”
“Something like that,” Gabriel said, waving his hand. “It’ll all blow over. Now come on, show me what you have already. Let’s pull this information together before the meeting.”
Next...