Let's see how this goes. I dunno what the plan for this story will be, so let's just hang on and see if it takes us somewhere. And, as always, thank you, beautiful readers, for giving me another chance.
Before humanity was created, heaven was a simple place. Our Father would create beautiful worlds, and we would work in them, help them grow. Then the Darkness, which is a story for another time, would come and destroy them. It angered our Father, but in general, there was peace in the routine.
Not many of humankind know this, but angels are allowed, even encouraged, to have mates. The first angel to find his mate was Lucifer.
Lucifer's mate was Amnayel. She was… Beautiful, even for an angel. She was cool when he was fiery, soft when he was too hard, passionate when he was apathetic. She was my brother's equal in every way. When they fell in love, it happened quickly, and it happened forever.
At this point in the telling, Castiel always stops and smiles. He has fond memories of this time in heaven, before things became worse.
Once they had undergone the mating ritual, heaven quite literally became lighter. Their devotion to one another brightened the heavens, making it a kinder, better place. Angels became more dedicated to their designated roles, they became kinder to one another, and they mated to one another more frequently. It was a time of peace.
Then God took his armies to fight the Darkness. It was a fierce, terrible battle, and many angels lost their lives. Lucifer wanted Amnayel to stay behind. But Amnayel, she was truly fierce, she was never the kind of being who would let her mate go into battle alone.
It was widely acknowledged that it was a foolish argument for Lucifer to engage her in.
When the battle was over, God needed somewhere to put the Darkness, to lock her away. He created a curse named the Mark, and gave the Mark to Lucifer, His most trusted general and beloved son. Lucifer was honored, and took it proudly.
The Mark quickly began to corrupt Lucifer. He was brisk with Amnayel, and downright hostile to the rest of heavenkind. He became quarrelsome and spiteful. Most importantly, he became rebellious.
All remained mostly peaceful, however, until God created mankind.
When God commanded that angels love humans above all, above even Him, Lucifer became infuriated. He argued against it, and there were rumors that his mate and he were fighting behind the closed doors of their domain.
When Lucifer fell, and became the first angel to defy God's will, he was cast from heaven. I remember it well, and I remember the way heaven darkened again as Amnayel wailed in despair. She was a devastated, broken creature after the loss of her mate.
It wasn't very long until she disappeared. There were rumors that she'd fallen, but there was no proof, so no one properly knew where she'd gone. Heaven was a harder, less forgiving place without her.
We all thought that was the end of it, but...
Feedback gives me the warm fuzzies and keeps me going.