A year seemed to fly by now. Imperius found himself getting even closer to her than ever before. On her sixteenth birthday, he made some time to show her some basic fighting techniques to help her hone her swing and stance. Up in the halls of Heaven, Auriel and Itherael were in a constant state of stunned silence. Around them, Imperius was grouchy, irritable, and impatient. But, with Anaurael, he was calm and collected. He was focused. It was as though she was the part of him that he was missing.

"I am completely amazed," Auriel said, as she hovered over the viewing pool.

"As am I," Itherael admitted. "Why can't he be this way more often?"

"This is a side of him that I do miss seeing," she sighed. "The instructor. The valorous leader. It was stripped from him after Sanctuary was created."

"That I do know."

"Should we allow her to come here? To see if he will keep this mood?"

"We would need to make room for Ilerael and Lilaurael. They have never lost their honor. We should wait a bit longer. More should come about soon enough."

"And he kissed her! A mortal!"

"A mortal angel. Not just a true mortal," Itherael chuckled. "I do see her as a younger sister."

"As do I. I long to speak with her."

"Not yet."

"I know," Auriel agreed. "I shall remain hopeful that she will continue to be the Light that Imperius sorely needs to remain whole."

"That she is," he nodded. As they continued to watch their powerful brethren train the girl, she was excelling in her training under his guidance. He would train her in the dead of night with his wings shedding off enough light for her see what she needed to do.

"No. Hold the sword at an angle," Imperius instructed. "Arching motions only. If you jab up and down, you'll chip the edge. That is good to do when your enemy is on the ground and near death. Not when they are standing ground. Remember. Your weapon is a part of you. Same with your shield. Use both with care, but with patience. When you see an opening, you take it!"

"Got it!" she nodded.

"A sword won't do well, if you lose a limb on using it."

"Understood!"

"That's it! Excellent! You have the swing down!" he said with a nod. For an hour more, he trained her and tested her skill at what she learned. When she had learned enough for the night, he nodded for her to set the items aside and to bathe the sweat off silently. The guards had helped Ilerael build several training dummies of straw, steel, and wood planks for her to work with. The Greed Goblin helped with the random item trade to give her armor that she needed. It liked feeling important.

"Am I truly improving?" she asked when she came back out from a clean scrubbing. She was wearing a set of cotton pants and a tunic. The heat of the bath always made her feel that much more pleasant to hold. The clean scent of her skin always pleased him that much more, too.

"That you are. The more you train, the better you become. It's a given. I shall do all that I can to hone your skills. It may be fast approaching the time for you to train further in my Halls. Another two years, at least. With the way you are learning, it could be sooner."

"I cannot wait," she chuckled in his arms. He squeezed her gently and looked over at Izarius walking up to them. He straightened up to let his disciplinary state of mind come back.

"The youth, Xavian, has been reading the Horadric texts his ancestor left behind. He has been trying to contact Darius for advice," the guardian angel said.

"For what purpose?" Imperius asked.

"In so many words, he is requesting for Darius to appear before the troubling youth, Willis, to shut him up and leave him be. The mortal fool has been demanding for proof of our existence. He is starting to spread lies about Anaurael, too."

"What lies?!" Imperius seethed. She had gasped now. She had no idea that any of this was done.

"That she is not 'betrothed' and belongs to none. That she is only saying such things to slight those that wish to get close to her. I have not yet advised Ilerael or Lilaurael of this. What should we do? What do you advise?" Izarius asked. Imperius was becoming a furious rage, but it was her gentle touch to his armored cheek that calmed him. Then she mused and whispered softly to him. Then, much to everyone's surprise, Imperius actually gave out a small chuckle!

"I do like your idea," he mused. "Let's do that."

"Do what?" Izarius asked.

"Lure the poor fool here. I shall scare him. It's doubtful that any would believe him," Imperius nodded. "I will show that I am not to be trifled with!"

"If anything, he may get some better ideas on how to improve the waterfall statue in town. It's so off center! Nothing is proportioned correctly!" she sighed. "If I had a chance to fix it, I would."

"Perhaps I should reveal myself again," Darius said when he walked over.

"No. This has gone on for too long," Imperius growled. "Where is the foolish mortal?"

"In his room preparing to rest," Darius said.

"How do we lure him?" Imperius pondered.

"Gurzick! Up for some fun?" she called out to the Greed Goblin. It was looking through its bag of treasures and jumped up with expectancy. It was slowly learning basic words to say. It could never handle the longer words, but short words were best.

"Yes! What?" it asked now.

"Follow Darius. Steal something from the room you are in. Get chased. Bring it here with the one chasing you. If you do good, maybe you can keep what you steal," Anaurael winked.

"Yes?!" it giggled with joy.

"If you give back what you steal, I can give you something in trade," she nodded.

"Okay!" it nodded.

"I can never tell if that thing is male or female," Imperius grumbled. Then, much to their surprise, it lifted up the loincloth to expose definite male organs. "Disgusting!"

"Yes?" he grinned now and trotted off after Darius with his bag off his shoulder. Izarius was leaning on his hammer and trying to get the nasty image from his mind.

"You had to ask?" she grimaced.

"I did not ask!" Imperius scowled. "It...he...decided to show us of his own will!"

"At least I know you're a male," she said with a soft chuckle. He gave a slow turn of his head at her to get her laughing a bit more.

"I would surely hope so," he seemed to smirk.

"Care to remind me?" she whispered to him. At the kiss he shared with her now, Izarius gave a soft sense of pride and readied himself to watch the path from the cottage to town. She was good for Imperius. He would never want to see them apart.

In the village now, Darius had escorted Gurzick to the small house in question. The Greed Goblin chittered with excitement at all the things he could take, but Darius gave a warning glare to not touch anything. The goblin seemed to grumble, but he wanted to help.

"In here," Darius whispered as lightly as he could. "Wake up the human with something you are taking. Then run back to Anaurael. Go!"

"Okay!" Gurzick agreed. As he looked over everything carefully, he saw one pretty crystal on Willis's desk. Little did he know, this was a shard from one of the Horadric pieces that Xavian held in his possession. Willis was visiting one day and took it when Xavian wasn't looking. It was a part of a larger crystal that helped sense demonic energies. What Willis was hoping to do was use the piece as a bargaining chip to get Xavian's aid. Once Gurzick had the crystal piece, he jumped around with joy at his new find. The racket he made easily woke Willis up.

"That's mine, you little thief!" he shouted. Gurzick was able to flip him off, stick out his tongue, and bolt out of the room. He felt some of his gold spill from his bag, but that was normal. It excited the youth to chase him down that much more. Gurzick snickered and ran through the main street now with the youth hauling behind him. Darius was already at the cottage and reporting the full issue at hand. Imperius was highly anxious to see the young mortal scream and run off in sheer terror.

"What am I to do?" Anaurael frowned.

"Practice your sword skills," he said and set her down. "When you are confronted, I will appear and drive the demon spawn off. I will ensure that he will never bother you again."

"I would hope so," she muttered with genuine disgust. "Demon filth..."

"Exactly," he muttered back. She had learned much of her attitude from him. It pleased him to no end. As much as her parents weren't particularly pleased, there wasn't much that could be done. She took out her sword and shield to start working on the training dummy. Her body was already toning even further from the hard training. It was hard not to notice her figure in the light cotton garments she wore.

He moved off into the far distance quickly. He knew when to come back to her side. Now that she was busy honing her skills again, she looked up at Gurzick giggling like mad. He showed her the small crystal he found, and even she sensed power in it.

"I will trade you for this later. This is special," she whispered. He seemed to pout, but he understood. He made another rude gesture rather gleefully to Willis's panting form and skipped into a portal to hide. At the sight of Anaurael, he paused with a slack-jawed look. She had the most beautiful and divine figure he would ever gaze at. "What are you doing here? In the middle of the night?!"

"Oh!" he blinked and came out of his stupor. "That little Greed Goblin stole something of mine! I was chasing it down to get it back."

"You mean this?" she asked and held out the crystal. "I don't think it belongs to you."

"How would you know? And it does!" he growled.

"This small shard holds a lot of power. I can sense it. I think it belongs to Xavian. He is descended from the Horadrim. You may have stolen it from him. I'll see about getting this back to him. If anything, you are the thief!" she growled and set the crystal aside.

"Oh? You and what army, eh? Your parents are likely asleep. What are you doing up all alone and outside your house? Waiting for someone?" he smirked.

"That she was, mortal fool!" Imperius snarled out from behind him. At her small nod of respect, Willis found himself trembling. He felt searing heat blazing on his back. It was almost as if the sun had moved directly behind him. At the sight of a fiery tendril from one the massive wings floating alongside him, he finally managed to turn around. Imperius was standing straight, impossibly tall, and gave off the vibe that he was totally pissed off. Willis found himself craning his neck to look up into the Archangel's helm. "So, tell me. What do you know of angels and demons? What knowledge can you possibly impress me with? Do you even know who I am? Humph! It's doubtful that you know anything!"

"What...are...?" Willis stuttered.

"He is Imperius, the Archangel of Valor. Leader of the Angiris Council in the High Heavens. He has been coming here nightly to train me. I am his chosen warrior apprentice. And, in short, I am his ward," Anaurael said calmly. She sensed sheer delight from him at her own reference to him. It would definitely work, if others found her mark. He had called her his ward before, and she decided to use it. It may not always be the case, since he did use the term as a form of protective endearment, but humans didn't need to know that. "He has chosen me since my birth."

"You...are with...him...?" Willis blinked. "You're screwing him?"

"Idiot!" she seethed. "I'll slaughter you!"

"Foolish mortal!" Imperius scowled. "How dare you!"

"He is my mentor and guide! How dare you slander him in such a manner!" she screamed. She was just as enraged as Imperius was. It was a stroke of luck that had Ilerael run out of the house to yank Willis by the scruff and toss him inside for safety. Darius had woken him to tell him what was going on when the insults started. Ilerael crossed his arms over his broad chest. Lilaurael was sitting in a chair and not very happy about everything, either. Outside, Imperius and Anaurael were forcing each other to calm down. He had his hands on her shoulders, and she had her hands over his. Willis would never be forgiven or trusted from this day forward.

"Did you both...know...?" Willis started, and Ilerael held up his hand to shut the youth up.

"We did. Imperius was here for her birth. Ever since she was born, he had been watching over her. She is his chosen champion. And, you are an idiot for referring to them as lovers!" Ilerael growled. "I don't know whether to let Imperius skewer you, or I do it for him!"

"She told me she was betrothed!" Willis argued.

"What's it to you if she is or isn't? You already hurt her once. You won't leave her alone. What is your main issue? What do you want from her?" Lilaurael asked.

"I just wanted answers," he moped. Then he paled at the sight of Imperius's massive frame entering the cottage doorway. He just barely had enough room to stand tall. Anaurael squeezed in behind him, and he pressed a massive hand in front of her to keep her back in a protective manner. He nodded to various corners of the room for the angelic guards to appear. Her parents nodded respectfully to Imperius. They always showed him vast respect. Willis just stared at the guards, as they seemed to glare their invisible gazes directly at him.

"As much as I want to skewer you," Imperius growled. "I shall be merciful. Leave here! Don't try to contact anyone from this location! Live out the rest of your miserable life elsewhere! Go!"

Willis didn't bother to wait any longer. Imperius pulled Anaurael out of the way of the door to give full clearance to the human. The massive Archangel was far too intimidating to fight with. There was no way that Willis would live, either, if he even tried to challenge the powerful being. In many ways, he felt that Anaurael was trapped by the angry Archangel. That she was unwillingly forced to be at his side. At this thought, he felt that it was his duty to free her from him. He was going to see what he could do to learn as much about the world of Heaven as he could.

His next stop was Xavian's home. He pounded on the door until he was let in. Xavian was actually immersed in the diary. On seeing who it was, he glowered. "What do you want?"

"I need help," Willis sighed.

"You stole a part of my crystal. I want it back first."

"Ana has it. She took it from me."

"Then I'll get it back from her. Fine. You can beat it."

"No! I need your advice!"

"About what?"

"What do you know..." Willis sighed. "about Imperius?"

"Imperius? The Archangel of Valor?" Xavian asked.

"Does he have a weakness?"

"Of course not!" he scoffed. "He killed Diablo once! No such thing!"

"Great..." Willis winced.

"Why? Why do you want to know?"

"Because...Ana trains with him."

"What?"

"Yeah. And I said that he and her were together as lovers...in front of them..."

"Get out. Right now," Xavian said with a darkened face.

"Why?!" Willis asked.

"Because, if you pissed off Imperius, I don't want you here in my house!" Xavian spat. "That guy...he could kill all of us! Leave! You'll get no help from me!"

Willis could only stare at his childhood friend with shock. When the door slammed shut in his face, he cringed. While he went home in defeat, Xavian found himself shivering. Willis met Imperius. And he insulted Imperius to his face. He had no idea how dangerous it was to live in this town now. At the sight of his missing crystal shard suddenly appearing on a table, he reached for it and moved to get the spectacles. On seeing Darius, he swallowed.

"I have returned your missing item. Yes, Imperius watches his chosen warrior apprentice closely. You hold much respect for us. You will remain unharmed," the warrior angel nodded.

"I would...like to meet him..." Xavian admitted.

"Such a thing, to gain an audience with our Archangel of Valor, is something he would not willingly permit. However, concerning the circumstances..." Darius seemed to pause. "Go to her place of residence. Now. Without delay!"

Nodding, he kept he spectacles on as he ran. He didn't even realize that he still wore them. When he reached her small cottage on the hill, he fell to his knees from how hard he ran. When he looked up, he gaped with shock. Imperius was holding Anaurael in his arms and glaring at him. With the spectacles, Xavian saw what the others couldn't see. He saw the mark of Imperius glowing brightly on her forehead like a drop of molten gold. The color matched her hair, but, of course, it seemed to shimmer and glow with its own Light. He was completely speechless. When Ilerael and Lilaurael came out to stand with Imperius, he saw something else. Their bodies were glowing with a Heavenly Light. Their wings may be gone, but their bloodline was completely pure.

"I...can't believe..." he gasped.

"You are wasting my time," Imperius growled dangerously, as his fiery wings flicked. "You have sought audience with me. Why? What do you hope to achieve?"

"My Great-Grandfather was part of the Horadrim," Xavian started.

"That was Tyrael's doing. Not Imperius," Ilerael said. "He has been missing for some time."

"Your bodies are glowing. I...a mark on her forehead?" Xavian said now.

"That is my mark that I placed on her, myself," Imperius growled out.

"You can see it? Oh. Your spectacles?" Anaurael asked.

"Yes. They let me see angels and demons as they are. But...if you're all angels..."

"Not me. I was born this way. My parents were, though," she said gently.

"Yes. We were. I loved Lily, and we stripped our wings to hide here in safety. Imperius discovered us after our daughter was born. That same night," Ilerael nodded.

"I was the one that found you to report it," Izarius said. Anaurael looked at him with a smile. She didn't know this yet. "I am honored to protect you."

When Gurzick reappeared, he looked impatient and upset. Anaurael looked over at him now and gasped. "Father! I said I would give him something in trade for the crystal he stole to lure Willis here."

"Right. I have something," Ilerael smiled and handed over an old knife. With the trade cemented, the Greed Goblin gave a happy chuckle.

"So...you took the crystal? And...him? It's a boy?" Xavian mused. Gurzick grinned a fanged grin and lifted up his loincloth to show he was a male. "Ah...okay...thanks..."

"Get out of my sight, Hell spawn!" Imperius snarled. The Greed Goblin grinned again and vanished. "Absolutely disgusting! Must we keep that filth around here?!"

"He did get me my new weapons and armors," Anaurael smiled. "and he did impress you."

"I may take my thoughts back on that!" Imperius scowled. At the sight of Gurzick appearing to toss an amulet at him, he caught it and seemed to stare at it. "You are impossible!"

"It's the Moonlight Ward?!" she gaped. Her parents found themselves grinning.

"It appears that Gurzick has found a way to keep you pacified with him," Izarius mused.

"I am not amused," Imperius muttered. "As for you, mortal, what do you want?"

"Willis came to me asking for help. I told him to leave after he admitted to meeting you and insulting you. I don't see him as my friend anymore. He stole from me. He lied about it. He pissed you off. He's done," Xavian growled out.

"Good choice," Anaurael nodded.

"What does that have to do with me?" Imperius asked.

"I want to help you. Maybe help her, too, with Horadric knowledge. My Great-Grandfather left me a lot of stuff. More than I could imagine. I could help train her with what I learn," he said.

"Interesting. Bring over what you have in the morning. I'll look over it with you," Ilerael nodded. "Tyrael and I were brothers-in-arms for a millennia and more. It was the same with my wife. I don't know as much as he does, but I know enough. Lilaurael? What do you think?"

"Well, Ilerael," she sighed. He was trusting this human with the knowledge of their true names. This had Xavian a touch surprised. "Anaurael does need some insight. This knowledge could benefit her. I'll go with it. Only if it's safe, though."

"Just remember, human mortal," Imperius glowered. "Anaurael is claimed by me. She is to be untouched by all! This includes you!"

"I understand," Xavian nodded respectfully. Imperius turned from them with Anaurael in his arms. He was going to ignore them now. Even as he grumbled, she smiled softly at him. That calmed him down enough to refocus on holding her close. Now that they were ignored, Xavian whispered, "Is she...really just his chosen champion?"

"She is more to him," Lilaurael whispered back. "She makes him whole again."

"I pray that none try to pry them apart," Ilerael grimaced. "I wouldn't doubt for a second that he would slaughter any that tried."

"I'd believe that," Xavian swallowed.

"Anyways, go home and rest up. Bring what you can here tomorrow. Darius and Izarius could even help transport your heirlooms to keep the suspicion down," Ilerael said.

"I'd appreciate that," he nodded. When they all went their separate ways, Imperius waited for silence to ensue around him. Anaurael continued to rest against his massive chest, as she got cradled.

"Are you tired?" Imperius finally asked her.

"I am. And then I'm not," she frowned. "So much happened now..."

"We will see what happens in the next few months."

"Okay," she nodded. They kissed, and he held her to let her rest at last.