A/N: Hihi! Here I am and here this is! Sorry, it took so long, craziness happened. Story of my life. So, we get to see Eliyon in a garrison, yippee! First day, he's the new kid, let's see how it goes.
Shoutouts to: UsedToBeSomething279, Balloony Toons, Spyrofury767, Kathy, PrincessMagic, monkeygirl77, yerma, and TheFriendYouHate! Thanks so much for the reviews! Welcome new readers! Hope you stick around for a bit even though my upload schedule is non-existent.
Yerma, you sounded a little conflicted lol.
TheFriendYouHate, unfortunately, Eliyon won't follow Gabe, I'll go ahead and just say that.
Monkeygirl77, you know I always deliver! I'll never leave you hanging for long. Yes, Eliyon is terribly underestimated and there will be people who regret that.
And a whiiile back, Krislyngera asked if Eliyon would have a relationship with the Winchesters. The answer is yes, he will. Our baby angel will meet the Winchesters and get drawn into the funk of their lives. Not in this fic, though. That happens in a later fic that I'm working on.
To everyone who vouched for Gadreel, thank you. He deserved so much better than what he got. I plan to rectify that in a later fic, too.
Enjoy!
Balthazar stood up slowly, testing his legs while Eliyon kept a firm, steadying hand on his arm.
"Well," he huffed when he could stand on his own and take a step without shaking or falling, "I suppose it was bound to happen sooner or later."
Eliyon frowned slightly. "This is a good thing, you know?"
"I know," Balthazar sighed good-naturedly. "I'm alright," he assured Eliyon. "That was bound to happen sooner or later, too. One of us was going to get hurt."
Eliyon shook his head. "But not nearly killed."
Balthazar smirked. "You think you nearly killed me? Come on, like either you or Castiel could actually take me out for good."
Eliyon smiled weakly, glad to see his friend in such good humor.
Anna walked into the infirmary, her normally serious expression almost grim. "Eliyon, Ezekiel wants to see you. I'll take Balthazar back to the barracks."
Eliyon saluted and left. The instant he stepped outside, he found Ezekiel waiting for him.
"Come with me," his Mentor said with the same uncharacteristic grimness Anna had shown.
Eliyon nodded and took flight after Ezekiel, keeping a respectful distance behind him. After a brief flight, they landed before one of the Archangel's aeries. Michael's.
Eliyon's eyes went wide. "Ezekiel? Why are we here?"
"Michael wished to speak with you," Ezekiel told him calmly.
Eliyon Grace churned with dread. "I didn't mean to hurt Balthazar."
"He knows," Ezekiel assured him and led him inside.
Michael stood talking to another Angel, one Eliyon had never seen before. He dropped his eyes respectfully when he entered the Archangel's presence.
"Ezekiel. Eliyon," Michael greeted them cordially. "I trust Balthazar has recovered."
Ezekiel glanced at Eliyon, letting him know the inquiry was for him.
"Yes, Anna took him back to the barracks today," Eliyon told Michael.
"Good," Michael nodded. "There are some things we must discuss."
Eliyon's wings folded nervously against his back and he dropped his eyes back to the floor.
"I was at the arena that day," Michael told him.
Eliyon winced. "You saw?" He'd assumed that Ezekiel had turned in a report, not that Michael had witnessed the incident firsthand.
"I did," Michael nodded and Eliyon glanced up at him. He didn't sound upset at all. "Would you like to know exactly what I saw? I saw a student who was excelling. Balthazar had no chance to block or evade that attack." He held up a hand to stall Eliyon's protest. "No one here believes that you mistimed the maneuver."
Eliyon's eyes slowly widened, both in apprehension and surprise. He'd hurt Balthazar terribly and yet, Michael sounded impressed.
"This is Tamiel," Michael introduced the unfamiliar Angel. "He leads the Grigori. You've heard of them, yes?"
Eliyon nodded. "Yes." He saluted the Captain and Tamiel nodded in acknowledgment.
"I'm attaching you to his garrison," Michael told him. "You will leave with him today."
"Today?" Eliyon repeated in shock. "What about Castiel and Balthazar?"
"They will continue their training under Ezekiel," Michael replied.
Eliyon looked from Michael to Tamiel, to Ezekiel, feeling trapped.
"This will be for the best," Ezekiel assured him.
Eliyon nodded, though his feathers were flat with worry and his Grace felt like it was going to twist out of him.
Michael studied him keenly. He could feel the nervousness pouring off the young Angel.
"Give us a moment," he nodded to the others. When the door closed, he sighed. "You aren't being punished, Eliyon."
Eliyon tried to hide his look of disbelief.
"Neither of you will receive a demerit," Michael went on. "Excellence should be rewarded, not punished."
"Excellence?" Eliyon repeated. "I nearly killed my friend."
"Would you fight him again?" Michael asked.
Eliyon opened his mouth and closed it just as quickly.
"I thought not," Michael said, seeing the reluctance in his eyes. "That is why I'm placing you with the Grigori. In time, Castiel and Balthazar will be placed in garrisons, as well. Your placement is simply being accelerated."
"So that I don't hurt anyone else," Eliyon concluded dismally.
"So that you don't become afraid of hurting anyone else," Michael corrected. "There is no room here, for the battle-shy. Tamiel is waiting for you."
Eliyon nodded and saluted at the dismissal. He left Michael's aerie and found the Grigori Captain waiting outside. Ezekiel was nowhere to be seen.
"Come," Tamiel beckoned to him, his deep, oddly cadenced voice had a soothing effect on Eliyon's nerves.
"Where are we going?" Eliyon asked carefully. The Grigori's Grace was different, more reserved…more dangerous.
Tamiel smiled slightly. "Earth, of course. That is where all Grigori are stationed. We are the Watchers of mankind." He turned and flew for the gate.
Eliyon took flight after him. "May I have a moment to say goodbye?"
"To what end?" Tamiel asked. "You will see them again. When they are placed in garrisons, they will have no chance for a farewell, either. A warrior's life has little time for such sentimentality."
The Grigori was the fastest Angel Eliyon had met and keeping up with him was a challenge. However, it wasn't as difficult as it should have been and Tamiel was aware of that, even though Eliyon wasn't. They passed the gates and plunged through the Ether, arriving on Earth in a matter of moments. Eliyon breathed the air in deeply.
"You enjoy our Father's creation?" Tamiel inquired.
Eliyon nodded. "I do. What are my duties?"
Tamiel smiled faintly, almost slyly. "You are eager. That is good. But, you are not Grigori. To serve with us, you must become so. To become so, you must be bled."
Eliyon blinked in confusion. "Bled?"
Tamiel nodded once and there was a dark glint in his eyes. Another Grigori landed. Then, another. Then another until there were hundreds of them encircling the two Angels and Eliyon's wings flared instinctively when he realized that he was in the center of a fighting ring. Tamiel drew his bade and charged. Eliyon leapt back with a shout of surprise and drew his blade in time to spin and block the second strike. Tamiel bared his teeth in a predatory smile of approval.
Then, he spun around Eliyon and brought his blade down, slicing the tip across Eliyon's back between his wings.
Eliyon shrieked in pain and spun, lashing out and catching Tamiel's hand with his blade. A collective breath of surprise went up from the Watchers and the Grigori's Grace flared but not in anger, in something that was almost…encouragement. He circled Eliyon and the younger Angel matched his movements. Tamiel darted forward, almost vanishing from sight and Eliyon blocked his blade once, twice, but the third found his back again. For the remainder of the fight, Eliyon struggled to keep the Grigori at bay but inevitably felt the burn of the blade on his back.
Then, Tamiel slammed into him hard enough to knock him to his knees. Eliyon started to rise but stopped when he felt the blade resting against his neck.
"I don't understand," he panted. His back was on fire and even though Tamiel never once touched his wings, they trembled with painful muscle spasms.
"You will," Tamiel promised. He flexed his cut hand and fresh silver Grace oozed from the wound as he splayed his fingers at the top of Eliyon's back, directly on one of the wounds.
Eliyon hissed at the contact but as the Grigori's Grace wrapped around him, it chased the burn from each gash, leaving a soothing cool in its wake and he realized just what had happened during his "bleeding". Tamiel had written the Grigori symbol on his back with the tip of his blade, as delicate as calligraphy and as undeniable as the earth he knelt on.
"Now," Tamiel pulled him to his feet, "you are Grigori. Now, your duties begin."
The surrounding Grigori drew their swords and a shout of welcome went up from the Angels. As the sound faded to echoes, Eliyon slowly stood, his Grace warming with relief. He belonged here. He was no longer an oddity. He was Grigori.
"First, we must find your vessel," one of the Grigori stated and Tamiel gave Eliyon an expectant look.
"I don't have a vessel," Eliyon told him loudly enough for the others to hear, as well. "I can leave the Ether on my own."
"Yes, so can we all, but not without harming are Father's Humans."
Eliyon glanced at Tamiel and when the Grigori Captain gave him a nod of approval, he stepped through to the physical plane.
"Impossible," the Grigori growled. "How?"
Eliyon turned a slow circle, making sure nothing had changed since the last time he'd crossed over. "I don't know. It's been this way since I was a Fledgling."
"Good, this is excellent," Tamiel said with obvious pleasure. "Now," he spun the blade in his hand, "we train."
Eliyon dashed between the trees, weaving around the massive trunks, shooting through the canopies and diving back to the ground, alternating forms. An owl, a panther, a wolf. Each time he shifted, he felt Tamiel hesitate in his pursuit. He took his true form again and surged forward, feeling Tamiel's Grace spark with realization. However, the Grigori didn't immediately come after him. He seemed…confused almost.
Eliyon shifted to an owl and landed on a branch, curious. He preened a couple of twisted feathers and took flight, gliding beneath the leaves. So far, this form was his favorite. Any other creature sent the little night animals scurrying for shelter but as an owl, his flight was silent.
He landed abruptly and opened his wings, studying the feathers and recalling a conversation he'd had with Gabriel so long ago about the serrated edges of his wings. The owl's wings were identical to his. Excitement building, he shifted to his true form as quietly as possible, suppressing his Grace so that Tamiel wouldn't find him. Yet. He took flight, paying special attention to the movements of his wings. They made almost no sound at all. He followed Tamiel's Grace and landed right behind the Grigori. With an impish smirk, he placed the tip of his blade against the back of Tamiel's neck.
The Grigori Captain spun around faster than the eye could follow, bringing his sword to bear on the younger Angel. Eliyon dodged and met the next strike as the fight began anew. Finally, Tamiel knocked him onto his back and he lay there panting, unable to move.
"You are a very sly Angel," Tamiel growled, but his eyes shone with the excitement of the fight. "How did you come so close to me?"
Eliyon flapped one wing tiredly and Tamiel knelt to examine it. "Ah, I see. Very much like the owl form you seem to favor. Small wonder." He sheathed his sword and pulled Eliyon to his feet. "Enough for today. Rest. We will continue tomorrow."