The Throne Room was silent as they waited for the arrival of the accused, around The Throne sat erected fur more thrones for the four Princes, and beside that of the Father sat one for the Sister. She had not made Herself present, thinking it not Her place, as these crimes had been committed before Her joining the family once again. Around them stood the masses of angels; healers and messengers, warriors and armors, shop and cart keepers, crafters and gardeners, they all stood in wait for the accused to be brought forward.
Beyond them, down the stone walk, the great doors opened and allowed the sun to shine in. They all turned to watch as the accused were marched forward, bound in the same crafted chains that had once bound the mighty Morningstar, lead forward by the Powers. The four of them were forced to their knees before the foot of Father's Throne, before the council of the Archangels, and their escort stepped back to stand before the crowd standing as a barrier should any try and get passed.
Little starry eyes spotted the one, Theo, and they filled with fear.
Standing behind the Morningstar; where he sat leisurely upon his throne, one arm bent upwards as he twirled a coin between his fingers, legs opened in a relaxed nature, lounging backwards in a comfortable state, their came a slight gasp. He sat up straighter, the gasp echoing around the silent Throne Room, and the twirling of the coin stopped as he reached behind his own throne with his spare hand. He guided the one behind him forward, dressed in the finest robes, braids done up with small purple flowers courtesy of Kokabiel and Joshua, came the little fledgling that had fallen under the restored Prince's charge. Her little fingers curled around his as she was guided out from behind his throne, around to his front, and he leaned forward to lift her into his lap.
The Choir Master sat back in his throne again, the fledgling leaning against his chest, and his twirling of the coin began anew.
He watched the fledgling curl around her master, hiding in his chest, her eyes trained on the one who had dared harm a fledgling. He smiled a sad smile to her when she turned to look up at Him, and turned to gaze over His other children, roaming over the four kneeling before Him for a moment.
Nisroc, the Captain of the Powers, adjusted slightly when two young ones appeared at his side through the crowd behind him. The younger of the two, still a fledgling despite his choosing of his flock, tugged on his tunic and the Power bent to the side to lift him up on his arm. The older of the two stood between him and his lieutenant, fingers curled in both of their trouser legs, as both young ones took in the sight of their former tormentors.
He saw His two broken children; Gadreel and Abner, lean on one another for support. The former guard had to close his eyes and look away, while the former sentry stared right ahead into the nothingness, both haunted by one of the ones kneeling before Him.
"This is not a court to determine guilt.", He looked down to the four of them before Him "This is a court to determine course of action in recompense."
There were many who had done horrid things during the advantage of the war, many who needed to face the council for punishment, many who were to be dealt with, but He thought to start with these four. They hurt those closest to Him, and in turn, they would be dealt with swiftly and harshly.
"Naomi." No one moved as His voice echoed around the silent room, it bounded off the walls as thunder did from gathering storm clouds, "Step to Me."
She was lifted to her feet by two guards and dragged forward. He raised an eyebrow at the blood dripping from her nose and temple, turning an eye to the unrepentant Captain and his two charges, and nodded in turn with his decision. It would be foolish to think, as he stood there with his hand curled over young Paul's head, that the elder would be peaceful in his delivery.
"Father, mercy, please?" The healer begged Him on hands and knees, her head bowed to His feet in recompense, but He was not easily fooled. "I only did what I had to survive."
"Did your patients ask you for mercy, My daughter," His tone was hard as He spoke back in turn "As you stole from them what was not yours to take?" she remained silent. "You were given the task of healing, as you so choose, and you turned those teachings into something unimaginable." He motioned to the side, a scribe, young and witty, stood waiting for her cue. She nodded and stepped forward at His beckoning, unscrolling a rolled-up piece of parchment as she stood before Him.
"Naomi." Ishariel, the scribe, ignored the eyes of their Father watching her and she looked up to meet the healers eyes "Mindbreaker." There was a soft call of her name in warning and she continued one "You are charged with the torture of innocents. Using gifts taught to destroy the conscious. Knowingly and willingly attempting to 'reprogram' brothers and sisters. Stealing the memories of countless unwilling subjects; Manuel, Kassiel, Elijah, Ariel, Annael, Paul, Benjamin, Akeelah, Zaveriel, Sammael, Azazyl, Ramiel, among others. You are found guilty of abuse of a fledgling. The torture of fledglings. Of imprisonment and captivity. You are found guilty for the attempt of overthrowing the Healer as commandant."
Eyes turned to the Healer, where he sat in his throne, leaning to the left side. His chin was held in his palm as he watched the proceeding, one leg crossed over the other, and his free arm laid straight on the other armrest, his hand hanging limply off the edge. It was unbelievable that someone would try and usurp his position, a fellow healer that he would have trained and guided, and he ignored the looks as he stared at his former student.
"My son?" Father turned to look at him, the eyes of his former student turning in kind, and their gazes met "Do you have anything to say?"
Finally, he sat up in his throne, his arm still bent upwards, "I am disappointed." Among the crowd there was a shift, numerous healers shifting from one foot to the other, none wanted to ever disappoint their master, and by the look on the mindbreakers face, the fact remained true for her as well, "That my teachings would be used in such a manner. I treated you with nothing but kindness, and you would use that against me, as a double-edged sword." He leaned forward, "You have no place among us. I banish you from my flock. Strip you of your title. There is no forgiveness for what you have done. The torture and abuse of a fledgling is inexcusable. I have no place for you and never again will."
She stared at him, mouth agape, as he sat back once more and looked away. She was awed silent as she was forced back to her original position. Staring at the Healer who had long since forgotten her. His gaze focused on the boy who hid his face in the Power's leg, eyes just barely seen peeking out at them, and gave a minute nod when their eyes locked for the briefest of moments.
"Theo, Thaddeus, to Me."
Both were forced forward, to kneel at His feet, and they bowed their heads in turn. He nodded to the scribe, giving her a look to read only what she was meant to and leave her side comments to herself, to which she pretended not to see and turned to look to her scroll.
"Theo" her eyes lifted "Traitor." "Ishariel." She ignored the soft warning from behind her "You are guilty of the abuse of a fledgling. Using your training to your own advantage. You are guilty of torture and abuse. You are guilty for sending innocents to the mindbreaker knowing of her ways. You are guilty of the whippings and beatings of numerous fledglings; Sashael, Sampson, Jezaniah, Akeelah, Ezekiel, Eran, Bath Kol, among others."
He turned to look at His first prince, and Michael stared at his two Powers with a fire burning in his eyes "Have you anything to say, my son?"
The Prince nodded stiffly, sitting straight in his throne, he leaned forward, "I have no place among my ranks for those so dishonorable as to knowingly harm an innocent, let alone a fledgling. I strip you of your rank, of your title, and banish you from my Powers and flock. Never again will you harm those you are meant to protect." He leaned back, turning to glance at the fledgling that hid in his brothers arm.
Ishariel took a deep breath "Thaddeus." She ignored the glance of warning she shared with Father "Bastard." But shuffled where she stood at the feeling of His gaze on her from behind "You are charged with the abuse of a fledgling placed under your care. For the disregard of your prisoners. You are charged with the abuse of prisoners unjust with their sentence. You are guilty of the beating and torture of innocents and prisoners alike; Jeremiah, Sariel, Gadreel, Abner, Zazrael, Hazel, Sashael, Ingrid, among countless others."
Michael ignored him, focused on the fledgling in his brother's lap, and waved a hand at him, it was the same for both of the disgraced Powers. They would never have a place among his flock. He nodded and looked away from His prince to the Power just behind the prisoners.
"Nisroc, do you have anything to say?"
The Power looked up from his soft reassurance to his youngest charge, glaring at the one responsible for the need of it, and shook his head "None that I wish to say before young ears."
"Very well."
He nodded to the guard, as they dragged the two disgraced Powers back, without title and flockless, back to where they kneeled in the row. They dragged Metatron forward, and the scribe was the only one who had the audacity to glare at his treatment, glaring heatedly at the two guards, and they glared back in return, keeping from enacting their intent from the look their Father sent them.
They may be in the process of sentencing, but they would still be treated with respect, even if they perhaps didn't deserve it. It shamed Him that His children could treat one another in the way they treated theirs. He had thought that His children had been raised better than that. Nisroc had raised Thaddeus, and now he raised his charges charge, He knew that the Power would have raised the exiled Power with nothing but kindness, it was seen as he stood there comforting the young ones as they faced their tormentors once more. How they could come from such care and kindness and turn into this, that was what confused even Him, where had they gone wrong?
"Metatron." Ishariel fell silent, glaring at the scribe, and it concerned Him when the outspoken young scribe didn't comment on him further and instead turned back to her scroll, "You are found guilty of treason against the Throne of our Father. In the attempt to usurp the thrones. Found guilty of knowingly and willingly sending others to their unwarranted fate. You are guilty of abuse and mistreatment of fledglings. You are found guilty of the Second Fall, and the lives lost in the aftermath, you are guilty of fratricide and sororicide. You are guilty for misusing the Word of our Father for dark intentions. You are guilty of kidnapping and manipulation."
Whispering overtook the crowd, as they all watched the one who had caused them so much pain, who had made them Fall from the home they've ever known.
He raised a hand and silence was cast once more, and He turned to His Messenger, Gabriel sat up from his lounging position and he sat up straighter at His gesturing.
"Gabriel, have you anything to say?"
The Messenger nodded, looking down to the captive scribe with heat burning, so unlike how his eyes usually were.
"I am astounded that one of my own could do this. Could cause such havoc and pain among our own while they suffered already. I've always had a bad feeling about you, I told Him that you were bad news, always living with dreams much too big. But shame on me for being the optimistic one, always looking for the good in people, I should have known." The Messenger leaned forward "You are a disgrace to my flock, a disgrace to me teachings, a disgrace among our family. I banish you from my flock, I strip you of your place, and I cast you out of my grace. You will die alone. You will die knowing that you failed. And we will live on to forget you. You tried and you failed."
"I did what others were too weak to do."
The Messengers temper snapped, something that was not easy to accomplish, and he stood quickly from his throne. The youngest Archangel had always been compassionate for his family, always cared for the younger generations, he'd helped raised the first few of them, and when one stood against them it was something akin to them standing against him personally.
"No. You took advantage of the situation to enact your own move for power. You've caused so much unneeded and unwarranted pain and chaos. You dirty, rotten—"
"Gabriel, that is enough."
He raised His hand, but did not stand from His seat, and silenced the raging Messenger with a mere look. Gabriel huffed, meeting His gaze in challenge, and gave his surrender as he sat back down in his throne.
Silence rang through the Throne Room as He watched the four of them in silence and all eyes turned to Him as they waited for His word to ring true.
"It pains Me to know that I failed as Father to you. Perhaps had I been more attentive and a bit more firmer My children would not have caused each other such pain. I forgive you for your actions against our family, and I will never stop loving you, but I give this sentencing to the council. It was not Myself who was acted against."
The Prince stood from his throne, "The Council has come together, the decision made is for the four of you together. You will be stripped of your flight, cast to the earth for eternity, the four of you will be locked within the pit for the rest of your lifetime. Cut away from the warmth and love of the family you so choose to harm."