Archangel The Prologue

Inside The Wings of an Angel.

Five years and six months ago.

He stood there on top of the high building, overlooking the hectic city below him, cars and buses jammed up in the morning rush hour. Stretching his wings, he pondered whether to fly to another building or to stay put. He had been on the same spot for over an hour now and not once did he got the feeling of being needed. Usually, those happened once or twice an hour. Restlessly, he took a few paces, turned around and went back, flipping his long blond locks over his broad shoulders. He was one of the few that kept his hair long, the others mostly kept their hair short because it made flying easier, but he liked the feeling of the wind traveling through it when he was airborne.


There it was, the familiar tingling in his gut, a sign someone needed his presence. Closing his bright green eyes, he let the feeling grow, taking over his mind, letting the feeling guide him. Opening his eyes, he looked down and took a graceful dive, his wings spread open. Listening to the feeling, he swiftly passed building after building, cutting corners where he needed to, slowing down to avoid the many electricity cables in this busy city.


His head was pounding now, a clear sign, that the distressed soul was nearby. Quickly scouting the area, he took in the sad view that he discovered to his right. There had been a horrible car accident, involving a school bus, two cars and a pedestrian. It seemed to be a terrible mess but he quickly looked around and let out a relieved sigh, there was only one soul needing help, all the others would be helped by the humans. He could hear the sirens closing in from ambulances and the police cars.


Touching the ground, he folded his wings and made his way through the mess, searching for the lost soul. He gently touched each person he passed, giving them a reassuring feeling that things would be alright. It didn't take him that long to find the lonely soul he was looking for.


He felt his heart tightening, bowed his head and shook it lightly. He had been doing this for millenia but when it came to young children, he always felt like shedding a tear. He knew he couldn't do anything to change what happened, he could if he wanted but wasn't allowed to do so. To him, it didn't seem fair that children at such a young age would be taken, leaving such a big hole behind for their parents and family.


Invisible to everyone around them, he silently stood next to the little boy for a while, letting him be aware of his presence. After a few minutes the boy looked up at him, his face red, wet and swollen from the crying he did.


"Are you an angel, sir?" he asked in between sniffs.


"If that is what you want me to be, I'll be an angel," he gently replied.


Repositioning his wings a little he crouched down besides the little boy and gently laid his hand on the boy's head.


"It's time for you to move along, little one, you can't stay here," he told the boy. "Your mommy and daddy will be taken care of. You have to say goodbye to them. I'll take you with me to a place where many other children are,he coaxed the little boy. He was always in turmoil, trying to find the right thing to say to them, but whatever he said, it never felt right.


The little boy looked up at him, even on his knees, he still towered over him.


"I don't wanna go! I wanna stay with mommy and daddy!" the boy said, tears running down his face again.


Gently, he picked up the boy and straightened up, holding him close to his body, he wrapped his wings around them both.


"I'm so sorry, little one, but you can't stay here. I'll bring you to the other children. Trust me, it will be easier there, you can look at your parents from up there," he told the sobbing boy in his big arms. He felt so tiny and vulnerable.


Slowly, he walked away from the scene, it was always the hardest part of what he had to do, time after time. Adult souls were more understanding, though some still were a mess as well, but kids, those were always the worst. So innocent and fragile, mostly unaware of what had happened to them. Hugging the little bundle in his arms, he went around the corner. Quickly he scanned his surroundings, making sure everything was alright.


Once satisfied his presence wasn't noticed, he leaped up, spreading his wings and flying off, the little boy safely tucked away in the folds of his arms. With firm claps of his wings he gained altitude, it didn't take him long to pick up a few good winds to ease the upwards trail he was making. He knew once he was passed the clouds it was only a matter of seconds before he could hand over the boy to one of the others who would help him further.


His main task was finding and picking up the lost souls, it wasn't the only thing he did, but eight out of ten times, it would be to bring the lost ones home. Sometimes he came across souls who only needed a little bit of guiding to move forward with their human life, overcoming their personal problems and issues. Mostly, it was alright for them to feel comforted and at ease, making it easier for them to make the necessary steps themselves to move forwards.


Finally, he had passed the highest cumulus and his inner compass automatically guided him towards the gates. Nearing them he already could see Darren waiting patiently, his hands neatly folded in front of him. Darren knew how hard it was for him to bring in the young souls and always made sure he was waiting for him by the gates in those cases.


With a few precise clasps of his wings, he gently landed in front of Darren. Taking in the friendly appearance of the dark haired, blue eyed guardian, he let out a relieved sigh.


"Thank you, Darren, as always. This little one is extremely sad, he didn't want to leave his parents behind," he said.


Carefully, he unfolded his arms, letting Daren have a closer look to the now sleeping boy in his arms. Tenderly, he brushed away a few strands of hair which had fallen over the boys angelic face.


"It's all right now, Remedio. Hand over the little one and I'll take care of him. I'll get him comfortable in one of the passing rooms and I'll help him settle in," Darren calmly responded.


He let Remedio carefully transfer the sleeping bundle into his own arms, which he held open. Cradling the young boy gently against his chest, he also wrapped his wings around them. It was an unconscious move all of their kind did when taking care of someone.


Turning around, he mentally opened the gate that was now in front of him, already whispering softly to the sleeping boy, unaware to the relief that passed over Remedio's face. After a few steps Darren was surrounded by clouds and disappeared slowly into the fog. Remedio was glad the little boy didn't wake up during all of this, sparing him from discomfort.


He rustled his feathers lightly and then took another dive towards earth, flying back to his busy city down below, waiting for the next being in need of help. Flying down in large circles, he suddenly felt a tugging at his heart. Not sure what it meant he tried to ignore it at first but the closer he got to the city, the worse it became.


The pulling in his heart was now joined with the all too familiar feeling in his gut that a soul was in need. For the first time in his long existence, he felt afraid and he didn't know what to do. After a slight hesitation he went to auto pilot, letting the gut feeling grow, overtaking his mind and body, letting it guide him again as it always does. Only this time the tugging in his heart became an excruciating throbbing pain, pumping throughout his entire body.


Then everything clicked together and he screamed, sending of waves of despair. This can't be happening, not now, he frantically thought. I have to find her and fast, please dear Lord, let me find her. He flew dangerously fast, barely missing the buildings he passed, following the awful gut feeling. Making the last corner, he froze, hovering in a deserted alley.


Two men were raping a woman, they had tore her clothes to shreds and had beaten her unconscious. Her face was all swollen up and red with blood gushing out of two severe head wounds. She hung like a rag doll between the two men, one was frantically hammering away between her thighs while the other one had her head lifted up and was pumping his vile flesh down her throat.


He could see the unconscious woman instinctively fighting the forced entry of her mouth, fighting to get precious air in her lungs. His anger rose to the surface, the pain in his heart rising to a level he couldn't ignore any longer. He could hear her soul crying out for help.


It only took Remedio half a second do decide before he lunged out and pulled the man abusing her mouth away from her and slammed him against the nearby wall. The other guy pounding away had his eyes closed and didn't see his companion being beaten by an invisible source and kept up his frantic thrusting. Remedio pushed the other man, startling him.


The dirty man frantically look around, trying to find the person who had interrupted him. Suddenly he felt a tugging at one of his shoulders and he had to let the woman drop to the ground. Then he stumbled backwards, his head lifted up as if someone was beating him up, still he tried to see who it was hitting him, but he didn't see anyone or anything. He tried to turn around and run. His pants prevented that, wrapping themselves around his knees, having never been removed completely.


Satisfied the woman was now free of the two rapists, he lifted up the second man and threw him next to his companion, both of them unconscious now. He diverted his attention to the woman, who ungracefully lay on the ally ground, her clothes shred to pieces, her face a bloody mess, her torso covered with red patches, some already turning black and blue.


Quickly scanning the alley, he discovered a purse carelessly tossed on the floor. With a single thought, it reappeared in his hands. Skimming through the contents he dug up a driver's license, quickly comparing the photo on it with the woman on the ground he could barely make out it was her in the picture.


The pain in his heart subsided finally, but it kept throbbing lightly. Looking down he realized she wouldn't be found here and that he had to get her to a safe place before the men would wake up again. Taking a final look on her driver's license, he made up his mind.


Bending down, he very carefully lifted up the woman, trying not to cause her more discomfort. Her painful moans and grunts prove he wasn't doing as good of a job as he wanted too, but he had to get her out of here. Tapping into one of his many abilities, he let her drift to sleep, soothing her soul in the process. Once he was satisfied he had her in a comfortable but strong hold, he leaped up, cloaking her from the world beneath them.


Flying high above the buildings he got his bearings, searching for the street she lived in. Finding the street he flew a bit lower, narrowing his eyes searching for the right house number. 105, 107Ha, here it is. 109 he thought. It was a stand alone house, so he moved to the back hoping to have easy access to her home.


Lowering them at her back door, he noticed a large bench covered with soft pillows. Very gently he laid the sleeping woman on it. Swiftly, he looked around in her purse again, his eyes catching the flicker of the silvery keys at the bottom of the purse. Removing them, he went to her back door and tried the keys one by one until he got the right one and opened the door, a sweet vanilla aroma escaping from the kitchen.


Quickly he went inside, deposited the purse on her counter and went back out to carry her inside. Holding her close, he wandered through her house in search of her bedroom. Lucky for him everything was downstairs and only after a mere minute he located her room. A soft kick to the door and he entered, pacing swiftly towards her bed and carefully laying her down.


He just stood there, taking in the mess they made of her face, her shredded clothes barely covering her body, the bruises becoming more visible. His heart ached for her. He knew that if he hadn't intervened she would have died as she was supposed to, but his heart had decided otherwise.


Letting out a defeated sigh, he knew a reprimand would be coming his way for interfering but he couldn't ignore the calling and the pain in his heart for something as rare as she was. It had only happened once before that an archangel found its missing half and looking down at the woman on the bed he knew she was his and he was willing to take whatever they threw at him to keep her safe.


Knowing that he couldn't take her to a hospital, he turned a little and plucked one of his feathers. He couldn't leave her like she was. Gently, he started to move the feather over her bruises, soaking up all the spilled blood first then slowly and painlessly, sealing her wounds. Seeing no obvious cuts anymore, he put the still white feather on her bedside table and knelt down next to her.


Murmuring a few magical words in an ancient dialect, he let her shredded clothes disappear, uncovering all the visible bruises on her shoulders, breasts and the rest of her body. Again, a few whispered words escaped his lips and his hand had a golden glow now.


Tenderly he caressed each bruise he could find, letting his hand rest a few seconds if the bruise didn't fade right away. After half an hour, he was finally done. He tended to her wounds and bruises and made sure all of them were gone. He regretted he wouldn't be able to remove the memory of the rape she had to endure, but he had done his best to make her physical as comfortable as he could.


Standing up he looked around the room, walking towards the second door in the room he found a bathroom behind it. On the bathroom sink, he found a soft bathrobe which he grabbed. Back at her, bed he tried to figure out how he could put it on her.


He lifted his own cloaking spell before removing the sleeping spell he put on her before and he immediately got a few groans and moans when she tried to move about.


"Shhh, little one, it's ok, you're safe now," he tried to calm her.


Frantically, she moved her limbs around, almost hitting him in the head. He hugged her tight, trying to still her movements. Stroking her hair he could feel her struggle fade away and he felt her tremble and heard her sobbing. Leaning back he looked down, she was crying uncontrollable. He took advantage of her upright position to drape her bathrobe around her.


"Who, who are .... you?" he heard her whisper. "What are you doing here? What happened?" she fired question after question at him.


Not sure how to handle this, he did the one thing he always did, covering them in his wings, soothing the one in his arms. He felt her relax again, but also heard her gasp in surprise.


"Are you an angel?" he softly picked up her question.


He was tempted to give his standard "I am what you want me to be" - answer, but he reconsidered.


"I'm one of many archangels. I'm a guardian of the souls roaming hopelessly over the world. I picked up the distress your soul was in and when I found you, you were still alive. I couldn't just stand there and let them continue with the horrendous things they were doing to you. So I intervened. I found your purse, I hope you forgive me my boldness, but I looked into it and found your driver's license and from that I knew where you lived and brought you here," he explained calmly.


Touching her own face, she noticed she wasn't in pain, looking at her hands she saw no blood. She knew she had been severely beaten up, she passed out after one of the man punched her in the face. Confusion written all over her face she looked up at him.


"How is this possible? There is not such a thing as angels? They don't exist! I don't understand, what is happening?" she went on as if she didn't hear his short explanation of the recently past events.


"Little one, you should rest," he tried to sooth her. "You just had a very bad experience, you shouldn't work yourself up so much. Shhh, it's ok. You're safe now, you're home.”


Stroking her shoulder length auburn hair, he felt her settle down again. Tenderly, he picked her up and moved a bit towards the middle of her bed. Slowly, he laid her down, pulling the sides of her bathrobe to cover up the rest of her abused body. Once satisfied she was comfortable, he tucked her in and lay down next to her; they're eyes meeting and gazing at each other. Stretching his back a bit, he repositioned his wings into a more comfortable pose, one neatly tucked away, the other one slowly opening up, gently covering the woman next to him like a soft blanket.


Cupping her face, he tried to comfort her again.


"Rest now, I'll keep you safe for now, I won't let anything happen to you," he reassured her.


Deep inside of her, she knew he was telling the truth and suddenly she was overwhelmed with all the feelings crushing into her, she only wanted to close her eyes and forget everything that had happened today. Not everything she thought, holding on to the feathery blanket that covered her tenderly. Tiredly, she opened her eyes and took a good look at the handsome man laying next to her, memorizing his face then slowly drifting off to sleep.


He felt her body relax when sleep overtook her. Holding her closely, he was aware he was in serious trouble, he had broken several laws and he knew the second he got out of her bed he would be called upon by the Council to explain his actions. Not wanting to give her up yet, he stayed with her, relishing in the feeling of having her so close to him.


Ignoring his gut feelings ,he stayed with her, noticing the evening wash over them, turning into night, the moon just visible in a corner of the window. His kind didn't sleep and didn't need to rest, but just having her so near made him relax, relishing in the feeling he let his guard down and closed his eyes.


~~~


"Get him upstairs now! His guard is down, we won't have long before he notices," a dark voice called out from just outside the window. "The Council is already gathered, we have to be quick."


"We have to be careful though, if he picks up anything, we're done for. I'm sure he knows he'll have to go in front of the Council at one point, but he can't suspect for a moment we had them waiting for hours already," came a swift whispered reply.


Making sure their cloaking spells would spread over a large area, both men silently reappeared in the bedroom. Each man went straight for Remedio's wings, immobilizing them, cutting off his only way of escaping. Disorientated, he tried to fight off his attackers, but to no avail. A black hood was put over his head and his hands got twisted behind his back and roped together. His wings were tied together as well.


Not knowing what was coming he relented in his situation, promising he would come back as soon as he was able to.


Held up by the two men, he felt they were flying off, a fact that made him wonder what exactly just happened.