War had a look that could kill. Literally. Upon her pale neck, she wore a black choker Famine had given her and she wore it proudly as a symbol of love and alliance. The robes she wore were as red as the hair upon her head and left little to the imagination based on how tight the fabric was in some choice areas. Her red flaming hair raced down her shoulders and whispered in the wind and her flamboyant blue eyes shouted of mischievous beneath the eyeliner she had chosen for this special occasion.
It wasn't every day you got to lead the people of God into captivity but here she was. It was a great honor and one in which she did not take lightly. There was no blood upon her sword. Not yet anyway. That was to come much much later. This was certainly not her first rodeo with the people around here. Not by a long shot.
In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah, Hoshea son of Elah became king of Israel in Samaria, and he reigned nine years. He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, but not like the kings of Israel who preceded him.
Shalmaneser king of Assyria came up to attack Hoshea, who had been Shalmaneser's vassal and had paid him tribute. But the king of Assyria discovered that Hoshea was a traitor, for he had sent envoys to So king of Egypt, and he no longer paid tribute to the king of Assyria, as he had done year by year. Therefore Shalmaneser seized him and put him in prison. The king of Assyria invaded the entire land, marched against Samaria and laid siege to it for three years. In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria and deported the Israelites to Assyria. He settled them in Halah, in Gozan on the Habor River and in the towns of the Medes.
All this took place because the Israelites had sinned against the Lord their God, who had brought them up out of Egypt from under the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. They worshiped other gods and followed the practices of the nations the Lord had driven out before them, as well as the practices that the kings of Israel had introduced. The Israelites secretly did things against the Lord their God that were not right. From watchtower to fortified city they built themselves high places in all their towns. They set up sacred stones and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every spreading tree. At every high place they burned incense, as the nations whom the Lord had driven out before them had done. They did wicked things that aroused the Lord's anger. They worshiped idols, though the Lord had said, "You shall not do this." The Lord warned Israel and Judah through all his prophets and seers: "Turn from your evil ways. Observe my commands and decrees, in accordance with the entire Law that I commanded your ancestors to obey and that I delivered to you through my servants the prophets."
But they would not listen and were as stiff-necked as their ancestors, who did not trust in the Lord their God. They rejected his decrees and the covenant he had made with their ancestors and the statutes he had warned them to keep. They followed worthless idols and themselves became worthless. They imitated the nations around them although the Lord had ordered them, "Do not do as they do."
They forsook all the commands of the Lord their God and made for themselves two idols cast in the shape of calves, and an Asherah pole. They bowed down to all the starry hosts, and they worshiped Baal. They sacrificed their sons and daughters in the fire. They practiced divination and sought omens and sold themselves to do evil in the eyes of the Lord, arousing his anger.
So the Lord was very angry with Israel and removed them from his presence. Only the tribe of Judah was left, and even Judah did not keep the commands of the Lord their God. They followed the practices Israel had introduced. Therefore the Lord rejected all the people of Israel; he afflicted them and gave them into the hands of plunderers, until he thrust them from his presence.
When he tore Israel away from the house of David, they made Jeroboam son of Nebat their king. Jeroboam enticed Israel away from following the Lord and caused them to commit a great sin. The Israelites persisted in all the sins of Jeroboam and did not turn away from them until the Lord removed them from his presence, as he had warned through all his servants the prophets. So the people of Israel were taken from their homeland into exile in Assyria, and they are still there. The entire thing was poetic really though not a poem of beauty or happiness but one of depression and great grieving sadness.
And no one knew this better than the angel Aziraphale. The Principality of Eden. The protector of the human race from evil. Or so he had thought. Just another thing to add to his list of failures. He was currently writing the damage report after all had taken place to be on the podium of Sandalphon by morning. He hadn't gone down there. He hadn't been able to bring himself to do so.
Much to the disappointment of War there had not been much bloodshed. The entire captivity process went over quite easily with very little struggle. Very very disappointing.
Crawly had gone down there or rather had flown above the chaos and watched thousands upon thousands being dragged through the sand in chains and children screaming for their mothers. He had even done something Satan forbid that might have actually been considered a good deed he had not had a perfectly reasonable explanation for it.
You see there had been a little girl who lost her doll and she left the line and her mother when it had blown in the sand winds taking it over to the sides of cliffs. She had almost fallen had Crawly not swept in and saved her. He ushered her to run along back towards her mother but came back when she couldn't find him crying like a little sad kicked puppy.
Puppy eyes on any creature was Crawly's weakness.
"Come on kiddo. We'll find your mummy and then everything will be better." He grumbled as he took the little girl's right arm as she clung to the doll for dear life with her right.
He urged them forwards to begin walking towards the line but when a guard came he quickly shoved the both of them behind a thick barked palm tree and he peered around mischievously and as sneaky as a serpent. He turned back to find the child staring at him with wonder rather than fear. Children would never cease to amaze him with their acceptance of things that were different from what they themselves were used to.
"I just realized that we probably won't be able to find your mom just by walking by the groups of people. We need to get airborne. That way you can look for your mom without being spotted by a guard. Besides I am of no help. I don't even know what she looks like." Crawly was saying this more to himself than to the child but nevertheless the words came out of his mouth. "I've never carried a child on my back while flying in the air before so this will be a new experience. But as a daredevil I am up for the challenge."
With that, he coaxed the child onto his back and flicked out his large raven black wings and took off into the sky. They flew around for a bit while Crawly waited for the child to give an indication that she saw her mother anywhere but there was just silence from her. Poor thing was going to have trama for the rest of her life and therapy won't even be invented for the next several hundred years.
"So what's your name?" Crawly finally said.
The silence was becoming too much for him to bear. The awkward silence thing was never Crawly's thing. That was more of Aziraphale directing at him. All the trouble he went through for the angel and he could tell Aziraphale still didn't trust him. He probably didn't even like him. And why should he? He was a demon after all and it wasn't like angels and demons went around trusting each other. But sometimes in private Crawly secretly deep down wished the two of them could be something more. Perhaps like friends. The idea of being friends with Aziraphale both terrified and comforted him.
On the one hand, he had never had a friend before. How he was even supposed to act around a friend scared him. He was scared of Aziraphale turning him down and leaving him. He was scared that friendship wasn't all the humans made it out to be.
Then, on the other hand, having a friend couldn't be all bad. It was comforting to know that there was a possibility and this was a small hope he held onto that Aziraphale could possibly feel the same way and want to be friends as well.
"It's Raakel." She said softly inturpting his thoughts.
"What?"
"Raakel. That's my name."
"Well that is a very pretty name Raakel."
"Thank you. I have been told it means sheep's friend. My father used to farm sheep. He was a shepherd. He died." She said quietly and Crawly instantly felt some guilt. If only he hadn't tempted Adam and Eve than all this suffering won't have happened which he shouldn't have because he was a demon and it was his job to tempt people. He then felt remorse as he knew how hard it was for a mother to raise a child without a father in this cruel sexist world.
"So are you an angel?" She said softly and Crawly felt rage run up his stomach into his ribcage. It took everything in him not to shout at the child.
"No! Of course not! Why would you think a silly thing like that?"
With a timid voice, she replied "Well we are in the air and you did just save my life and Cuddles is here as well because of you. I just thought...I don't know. Mother says I am always thinking silly things like that."
Great. Couldn't bring comfort to Aziraphale. Couldn't work up the courage to tell him how he felt. And now he couldn't even bring comfort to a small child. Figures. Couldn't even be a good enough demon.
"It's alright. I will help you find your mother. But just to be clear I am not an angel. Not by a longshot kid." He said it gently but firmly. He would not have his identity mistaken again.
"Okay. Got it." She then began to hop up and down on his back which hurt him but before he could protest she cried out "Mother! There she is!" Raakel's voice was filled with happiness and joy.
But what Crawly saw where she was pointing filled him with anything but. The woman who was her mother was being led away towards a cave by some hungry looking soilders. He could smell the lust on them up here and could feel the waves of fear feeding off the woman. He landed with the the child near some bushes and set the little girl gentely on the gorund.
"Why can't I go see here?" Raakel said sadly. "Is it because I called you an angel? I'm sorry. Please take me to my mother now!"
He needed a plan. Now. Time was of the essence.
"No no it's not that! Ugh! Just wait here alright! And what ever you do do not look at that cave until I come back with your mother!" He then gentely turned the girl towards the palm tree near them and said "Count to seventy and then you can turn around."
"Okay." She said and began to count.
Crawly took off towards the cave and arrived just in time to see the pigs of men already disrobing the poor lady.
"Let her go now! Or else I swear to Satan you all will be burned with Hellfire right where you stand!" His voice was angry and the two men turned to him. They saw his eyes and dropped their swords and backed up against the cave wall. Crawly was not in a gaming mood.
"LEAVE! NOW!" He forked his tongue to emphasize his threat and the two cowards took off running and screaming. Crawly let out a bitter laugh when he saw they had dropped their swords. Fucking idiots.
The woman backed away from him with fear in her soft brown eyes. He held up a comforting hand but that seemed to have the opposite effect.
"You're Raakel's mom right?"
She nodded still looking scared.
"I have your daughter outside. She is in the bushes safe."
She followed him out and Raakel had finished counting. Pure bliss was upon the sweet face of innocence as she ran and practically tackled her mom. Crawly almost smiled at the entire thing. Emphasis on the almost.
"Thank you so much, kind stranger!" The woman said walking up to him with far less fear and a squirming child in her arms. "What is your name? And how can I ever repay you?"
Before he could say anything Raakel interrupted with "He's got wings mama. I saw them."
She turned back to look at him with awe in her eyes. "An angel of the Lord. Oh, I knew God hadn't abandoned us!" The anger at this boiled up in Crawly's chest like hot hellfire coals.
"Well I won't say that exactly." He said shrugging it off even though deep down it was starting to bother him.
"Well you are still very kind for helping us out. How can we ever repay you?"
"By keeping your heads down and taking this to protect you." Crawly had mircled a small dagger into his hands and he softly put it into Raakel's mother's soft hands. "Keep that beneath your robes and away from prying eyes. And if anyone tries to mess with you or your daughter I trust you know how to use it."
She nodded and tucked it away quickly. "Yes. Thank you."
He quickly helped them get back into line with a miracle here or there to help no guard to be looking in their general direction as he did so. He watched them from a distance to make sure they were safe before turning to go back to Aziraphale to go check on him. The angel was in a sorry state the last time he went to check up on him. Instead, he was greeted with Hastur and Ligur standing there.
"Wonderful view isn't it?" Crawly said attempting not to let his voice shake. "Nice to see all the destruction and chaos I was able to cause for our Dark Master. All this chaos and destruction. Just taking it all in really."
"I see." Ligur said with traces of doubt. Crawly wasn't really fond of his tone.
"Well Crawly regardless of all the evilness and destruction you have caused up here on Earth it's time for you to head back," Hastur said with spite.
"Head back where exactly?" Crawly said and could only hope to Satan this wasn't what he thought.
"Back to Hell of course," Hastur said angrily. "Where the fuck else?"
Crawly nodded. "Right. Right. Stupid question. Let's go then."
He hated to leave Aziraphale alone but he didn't have a choice in the matter. He had to do whatever demonic tests Beelzebub had in store.
The king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Kuthah, Avva, Hamath and Sepharvaim and settled them in the towns of Samaria to replace the Israelites. They took over Samaria and lived in its towns. When they first lived there, they did not worship the Lord; so he sent lions among them and they killed some of the people. It was reported to the king of Assyria: "The people you deported and resettled in the towns of Samaria do not know what the god of that country requires. He has sent lions among them, which are killing them off, because the people do not know what he requires."
Then the king of Assyria gave this order: "Have one of the priests you took captive from Samaria go back to live there and teach the people what the god of the land requires." So one of the priests who had been exiled from Samaria came to live in Bethel and taught them how to worship the Lord.
Nevertheless, each national group made its own gods in the several towns where they settled, and set them up in the shrines the people of Samaria had made at the high places. The people from Babylon made Sukkoth Benoth, those from Kuthah made Nergal, and those from Hamath made Ashima; the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak, and the Sepharvites burned their children in the fire as sacrifices to Adrammelek and Anammelek, the gods of Sepharvaim. They worshiped the Lord, but they also appointed all sorts of their own people to officiate for them as priests in the shrines at the high places. They worshiped the Lord, but they also served their own gods in accordance with the customs of the nations from which they had been brought.
To this day they persist in their former practices. They neither worship the Lord nor adhere to the decrees and regulations, the laws and commands that the Lord gave the descendants of Jacob, whom he named Israel. When the Lord made a covenant with the Israelites, he commanded them: "Do not worship any other gods or bow down to them, serve them or sacrifice to them. But the Lord, who brought you up out of Egypt with mighty power and outstretched arm, is the one you must worship. To him you shall bow down and to him offer sacrifices. You must always be careful to keep the decrees and regulations, the laws and commands he wrote for you. Do not worship other gods Do not forget the covenant I have made with you, and do not worship other gods. Rather, worship the Lord your God; it is he who will deliver you from the hand of all your enemies."
They would not listen, however, but persisted in their former practices. Even while these people were worshiping the Lord, they were serving their idols. To this day their children and grandchildren continue to do as their ancestors did.