Chapter Text
Emily watched Sera pace in front of the doors to the grand chamber, hands pressed together as if in prayer. She still felt conflicting emotions as she regarded her sister; hurt, betrayal, anger, sadness. Why didn’t Sera trust her? Why didn’t Sera tell her the truth about the sinners and the exterminations? It made Emily feel ill, her stomach twisting at the thought of all the death those poor souls had endured at the hands of holy weapons, their terrified screams as her people gleefully murdered sinners. For the first time since her creation, she felt lost and confused. How could Sera agree to this slaughter? It went against everything Heaven stood for…didn’t it? Emily shook her head. No, Heaven was filled with love and welcoming to all.
But something inside her was telling her that not all was as it seems. Adam and Lutes attitude towards the exterminations and sinners were a testament to that. Even Sera's reaction was not one of remorse but one of defence. When their Princes had named the sisters as guardians of Heaven, Emily had been so afraid that she wouldn’t live up to the expectation. She had worked for years to create a safe and loving afterlife for her people. To find out that Sera had been allowing these exterminations behind her back was difficult for her to forgive.
Emily startled when a hand hesitantly touched her shoulder. “Are you all right Miss Emily?” asked Sir Pentious.
Emily smiled softly at the newly reformed Ex-demon. “I am fine thank you….just a little nervous,” she replied.
Sir Pentious looked worried and wrung his hands “Will they be terribly angry?” he asked. “They wont rip you limb from limb or tear off your wings?”
Emily gasped and patted his hands in a comforting manor. “No, no no! Of course not! They will…..they will likely be upset, as I was but! They are just, kind and understanding,” Emily was quick to reassure the anxious serpent.
Sir Pentious gave a slow nod but still looked nervous. “The last time I thought about them was when I was a child in Sunday school,” he confessed.
Emily blinked at him. “Sunday school?”
“Oh yes! Every single week when I was a young boy. It wasn’t very interesting; I was more captivated by the new types of machinery and inventions popping up then about Angels but their stories in particular were nice to listen to. Mumma always lit a candle to Gabriel and-.”
“Lord Gabriel to you!” Snapped Sera, finally moving towards the other two Angels.
Sir Pentious shrank back, trying to make himself seem smaller in front of the elder Seraphim. Emily frowned at her sister. “Sera, calm down. Sir Pentious is new, he didn’t mean to- “
“Regardless, he should know to show respect to our Lords Emily.”
Sera flew away from them again to resume her pacing. Emily sighed and gave him a small apologetic smile.
Suddenly, the doors opened, and Emily and Sir Pentious joined Sera. A fellow Seraphim emerged in true angelic form. Mouth hidden beneath her six wings, a hundred emerald green eyes landed upon them. Beside her, Emily felt Sir Pentious shudder at the majestic sight of a Seraphim’s true form. She reached over and took his hand, giving it a comforting squeeze.
“They are ready for you now.”
The fellow Seraphim, Zerachiel, led them into a Jade crystal chamber. Gold decorated the floors and walls, mixing with the Jade to create a delicate yet powerful feel to the room. There was no ceiling, only the light of millions of stars and the multiple colours of galaxies mixing thousands of miles away. Before them sat five thrones, cast in pure white crystal and Jade. In four of the thrones, there sat an Angel. Emily watched as Sir Pentious took the room in. She couldn’t suppress a small smile as his eyes grew round with wonder.
Zerachiel stopped in front of the middle throne and bowed before it, before disappearing in a flash of white light. Emily, Sera and Sir Pentious bowed before the five Angels before them.
“Welcome Sera, Emily and to our newest Angel, Sir Pentious. I am Lord Michael, Supreme Archangel and one of the Princes of Heaven as bestowed by my Father, The Almighty.”
The three of them bowed again and Emily gazed at her princes. Michael, The Chief Angel, looking almost exactly as his twin Lucifer did before he fell, only gentler but with darker eyebags. He wears a white uniform, decorated with golden threat, a large ornate sword lies at his hip. A golden crown of sapphires and diamonds sits on his head, below the brightly shining halo. To his left was Lord Gabriel, The Messenger. Like his elder siblings, he is male presenting but with darker blond hair. His eyes are a deep ocean blue and he also wears a uniform like Michaels but with a mix of silver and gold decorations. His crown is golden with jewels of Jade and amethyst placed on the points. He too carries a sword, less ornate than Michael’s, on his hip. Beside him, sat Lord Uriel, The Wisdom and the only female presenting Prince at this time. She sat looser than her siblings, one leg elegantly crossed over the other. Her long flame red hair was swept to one side, so both her deep amber eyes could be seen. She’s dressed like her siblings but light reds and ambers pattern along her jacket. At her hip, the famed flaming sword rests. Her crown, gold with rubies and ambers lies on her head, glittering against the starlight from above.
To the right of Lord Michael sat an empty throne. Lucifer's throne. Whilst the other Seraphim had wondered if one of them would be chosen to take over Lucifer's position, Emily knew deep in her heart that the wounds were still too fresh, even after 10,000 years. Despite their differences, Lucifer was still loved by his siblings and thus, wouldn’t ever be replaced. Beside Lucifer's throne sat the youngest of the princes. Lord Raphael, The Healer. Shorter than his siblings, more her own height, Lord Raphael gazed at the three Angels below with a wide grin. His bright blue eyes shone with excitement as he clutched his staff close to him. Upon his neck length silver hair, sat his silver and emerald crown. He dressed in a similar uniform to his siblings but carried no sword and wore an ornate silver robe over his uniform, signifying his status as a Healer of Heaven.
“Thank you, my Lord,” said Sera. “How may we serve you?” she asked.
“There have been some serious allegations dear Sera,” began Michael. “Allegations about the sinners in Hell.”
“My Lords, you entrusted me with the safety of Heaven. I did that I thought was best-“
“By exterminating sinners?” Asked Uriel.
Sera took a deep breath but met the eyes of the Prince of Wisdom. “Hell’s overpopulation is an issue we cannot ignore. With sinners being confined to the Pride ring only, Hell will eventually cause problems for Heaven. My duty is to protect our people. I saw no other way, please believe me!”
“Peace Sera, you are not on trial here,” soothed Uriel. “All we want to understand is why you agreed to this…. extreme solution? Why did you not come to us, to ask for guidance?”
“You are so busy, doing the Almighty’s bidding. When Adam came to me with his idea, I granted it because I didn’t see any other way. I only saw our destruction, the death of our people if I didn’t get Hells population under control. So I sent Adam down to make a deal with Lucifer.”
Emily saw all four of the Princes flinch slightly at the name of their fallen brother.
“Lucifer agreed, so long as we remained in the pride ring and only targeted sinners. This way, it was a win, win for both Heaven and Hell. Hell had its population controlled and Heaven was safe.”
Sera squeezed her eyes shut and Emily felt sympathy for her sister. Despite the horrific results of her actions, Emily felt that she was only thinking about Heavens best interests, however misguided.
“I saw no other way,” she whispered defeated.
“We know you had Heavens best interests at heart Sera,” said Lord Gabriel. “But we cannot allow exterminations to continue. It goes against everything we are.”
“But how else are we going to solve Hells overpopulation?”
“By redemption,” piped up Lord Raphael.
Emily looked at the youngest Prince, who was grinning widely at Sir Pentious. He flew down from his throne, hovering in front of the Serpent. “By redemption,” he repeated.
Emily found her own smile widening.
“Raphael has an idea, which we all have agreed to try,” said Lord Michael.
“and what is that, my Prince?” asked Sera.
“Why, our nieces hotel of course!” giggled Lord Raphael.
Emily started to beam.
“The hotel?” whispered Sera.
“Of course! Young Charlotte has come up with the splendid idea. Redeem the sinners, so that they can ascend into Heaven! It’s genius!” squealed Lord Raphael. “And because of our newest Angel here, we know it will work, solving the problem of overpopulation for good!”
“We have decided to endorse this hotel and give it a trial run,” said Lord Uriel. “We have sent a letter to Lucifer. If he agrees, we will be sending an agent to help Charlotte the redemption.”
“Send an Angel?” gasped Sera.
“Don’t worry Sera, our volunteer can’t wait,” murmured Lord Michael tiredly as he turned his gaze to Lord Raphael.
“Your going to be Heavens representative Lord Raphael?” gasped Emily.
“Yes! We decided I’m the perfect choice, on the grounds of my neutrality. Besides, some of my students fell during the war and….well it will be nice to see them again, is all.”
“If that is our Lords will, then we shall accept it,” said Sera as she bowed.
“If you don’t mind Sera, we would like to speak some more with you. Raphael wants to speak with your sister and Sir Pentious regarding his impending trip,” said Lord Gabriel.
Emily and Sir Pentious bowed once more to the Princes of Heaven before leaving the chamber with Lord Raphael.
“Lets go somewhere more comfortable,” suggested Lord Raphael.
With a flourish of his staff, a portal opened to a comfy, welcoming room. Emily few in, Sir Pentious behind her, and sat on a cosy looking couch. Lord Raphael sat opposite them, his smile never dimming. As he sat, a small dark speckled grey owl flew over and perched on his shoulder. Lord Raphael gently stroked it’s feathers, as the bird cooed quietly. “This is Poppy,” he introduced. “My ever faithful companion.”
“She’s beautiful,” gushed Emily.
“A very pretty owl,” agreed Sir Pentious.
Raphael giggled. “Isn’t she? Now. Down to business. I hope your settling into Heaven well Sir Pentious?”
“Slowly my Lord Raphael. I was quite perplexed at how I got here but Emily has been so lovely and welcoming.”
“Please, call me Raphael. I am so glad that our Emily has helped you settle in.
“Thank you Raphael,” murmured Emily bashfully.
Raphael smiled and sat back “So, tell me about this hotel.”