The scream piercing through the night woke them all from their deep slumbers and pulled them quickly out of bed to get to the side of the one such a scream of terror was torn from.
The Commander grabbed first for his sword, ready to defend them from anyone who would dare come into their home and attack their fledgling, jumping from his bed and turning out of his door to run down the hall.
The Messenger grabbed his bow from the hook next to his door, having rolled out of his bed in quick succession, spinning around the corner of his door and beelining down the hall as he notched an arrow to be at the ready.
The Healer had gotten to his feet with a practiced quickness from nights tending to warriors after battle, reaching for his staff as he rushed out the door and turned for the room just a bit away from his.
The Morningstar was startled away when the scream rang through his room, echoing off the walls, and coming back to echo in his ears. It was a scream so terrified, so horrid, that it broke the hearts of anyone who heard it. His side was exposed to the cold air and that side of his bed was empty and he turned quickly, casting a warm glow of light over his room with a wave of his hand, and then spotted it.
She was curled up in the far corner, her shoulders heaving as she sobbed so harshly into her hands, eyes wide with terror at the unseen images dancing before her. What had caused such a stir was unknown, but the others ran into his room in quick succession of each other, eyes wide and weapons drawn.
They stood down at the lack of attack and turned first to the Morningstar in question, he merely pointed at the fledgling in the corner, and all attention was given to her at once.
Akeelah was curled tightly into herself, a bluish-white glow emanating from her lap where her hands lay clenched, her eyes seemingly glowing even brighter then they usually did. The air sang with energy around them, little sparks lighting on their own from the intensity it carried, and they watched in slight fascination as reality seemed to warp on itself. Not much, but enough that the air itself flickered around them; it was enough to know the precarious position they were in.
The Healer sucked in a distressed breath and they turned to look at him, leaning against his staff, and watching the terrified fledgling in morbid curiosity, "She is pulling at her grace, I've never seen this from someone so young, she pulling it to the surface as a defense mechanism."
"And that's a bad thing, I'm guessing."
He nodded to the Messenger, "There was a reason that all young fledglings were watched as closely as they were, using too much power before her body is ready to could tear her core apart, it would implode on itself.", he looked around them in mild fascination, "This is amazing though, she is bending reality, do you see this?", he gestured to her hands where the glow was coming from, "That's pure grace right there. That hasn't been seen since…."
"The creation of the Stars.", the eldest finished for him.
He nodded and turned to look at the oldest archangel, "From what I can see it isn't nearly as strong as us, but I have no doubts that as she gets older, she will be a strong angel.", then he looked toward the Morningstar, "Lucifer, she recognizes you as her master, you may be the only one she allows near her right now. You need to calm her down."
The older Archangel nodded once at the silent command in those words, and stood from the side of his bed, creeping forward carefully as to not startle her more. Her eyes turned to look up at him, and they were hauntingly brilliant against the dimness of his room, he knelt a pace away from her and called to her softly "Akeelah,", she stared at him, tears like stars falling from her, and he spoke softly as the heat from the tension in the air began to warm his cool skin, "Akeelah, little one, it's alright."
At first, it didn't seem like anything was getting through to her, he even turned to look over his shoulder to his brothers hopelessly and they waved him on encouragingly.
"Akeelah, my little fledgling, please come back. Please? It's alright, you're okay, it's safe now."
The tension slowly dissolved itself, the heat cooling out bit by bit again, but the glowing didn't begin to fade in the slightest.
"It was just a night terror. It's over, the war is over, you've got a flock again."
His words seemingly started getting to her, the little fingers in her lap slowly began to unclench, her shoulders slowly uncurling.
"You're not alone, you'll never be alone again, you've got us now. We would never let you go. Never will."
Her fingers slowly began to fade back to their normal color, her eyes back to their normal soft glow, tears slowing down again.
"Come here, come to us little one, let us help you."
Their fledgling slowly uncurled from the corner, slowly and cautiously, she pushed away from her corner and crawled towards her master. Her face was still shining from the tears, but the glow had faded complete, her grace receding back to the depths it sat in wait in. The Choir Master sat on the floor of his room, legs crossed in front of him, and opened his arms for her.
"Come here, little Akeelah, come to me now. Come to us. We will protect you."
She crawled, rubbing at her face with her little hand, and crawled forward to climb into his lap. He wrapped his arms around her tightly, feeling her fingers curl into the soft fabric of his night shirt, and she buried her face into his chest.
The others slowly came up from behind them, sitting around them on the floor with them, and reached out to offer their own soft comfort to the distraught fledgling. Her little arms shook from the intensity of which she was clutching at her master's shirt and the Healer and Messenger reached up to gently rub her little arms in an attempt to relieve the tension and calm her nerves. The oldest Prince rubbing small circles in her back, each offering their own silent comfort in mere presence alone.
Slowly the tension dissipated from her arms and she sagged against the Morningstar's chest, turning her head slightly to suck in a shaky breath, rubbing at her eyes with a little fist.
"See?", his voice rumbled deeply under her ear and she listened closely to it, "You're alright. We're here. We're all here.", he pet his hand down the back of her head, "I've got you. We've all got you, little one." Akeelah sniffed softly, rubbing her eyes again, a thumb brushed over her cheek and she turned to look up at her master only slightly, he smiled down at her and rubbed a finger over her nose. "It was just a bad dream. Just a dream. You're safe in our home. Safe in our arms. See?" She stayed half buried in her master's chest but turned slightly to see the others sitting around them, they smiled at her gently and she turned back to hide in his chest again, "You're safe, little mouse, you're safe with us."