It took four hours before they were finally reconciled with each other. It was going to happen a lot more. Izarius had a bath prepared for her with a clean gown. This one had emerald green threading in a vine-like pattern over the gold. Imperius stood inside her bedroom, as she bathed, to watch her silently. He had never seen her bathe before like this, and he was curious how it worked. Of course, he had watched her bathe when she was younger, but it was never up close. He found it a touch entertaining.
"I can never get my back! Izarius could help me," she frowned. "Should I call for him?"
"Let me do it," Imperius said and walked over to her.
"Won't water get in? I mean...you're wearing gauntlets," she smiled.
"So does Izarius. Remember. Our armor is like our skin. I will be fine," he muttered and began to run the soapy water over her back. She seemed to gasp at the massage he gave her now, and he began to think silently to himself. "You...like this?"
"I do..." she seemed to whimper at a knot he worked out. He worked his hands all along her spine and was a touch shocked at how stiff many of the muscles were. He wasn't one to fully understand how flesh worked, but even he could tell how bad it was.
"You will finish bathing. Then I shall see how much more of this you need," he said and finished scrubbing her back clean. He dried his hands on a nearby towel and watched her wash her hair. He saw how her hair seemed to repel the soapy water naturally. It simply couldn't get wet. She was able to scrub her scalp, though, but her hair never retained water. "Your hair fascinates me."
"Does it?" she chuckled.
"It is as light as air in the wind. But...it seems as dense as gold."
"Yes. Mother can't cut my hair. Everything breaks on it."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. And, if you notice, it is not various lengths. It is all one length. My Father thinks that it is from your mark. I was told that it was a golden blond at birth. Like normal mortal hair. But, as I developed in growth, the color changed to this. The same color as your mark."
"So, it was gradual?"
"That it was. I think the color was there in full by the time I was two. All of the natural blond I had was simply gone. It was able to be clipped down, too, but only before this gold coloring took over. When Mother tried to braid my hair when it got longer, it looked unnatural."
"Show me," he said. She nodded and gathered up her hair to braid it. Now he saw what she meant. It looked like actual ropes of gold metal coiled together. It was a very unnatural effect. "Undo it! That makes me very uneasy to see. We shall leave your hair down."
"Yes, Imperius," she smiled and undid the braid. "It never tangles, either. I never needed a comb. It made things easier for me."
"That it does. Yet, you can hold it back with pins?"
"Yes. It doesn't seem to mind that," she laughed softly. He chuckled and watched her dress into the new gown. Slippers were nearby for her to use, but they were a solid gold in color. That was fine.
"I am a touch worried," he admitted when she leaned into him.
"About what?" she murmured at the feel of his hand moving over her back.
"Tyrael. As much as I have a truce with him now, he may grow intense affections for you."
"Well...that can't be helped," she sighed. "He agreed to assist with Malthael."
"I know this all too well."
"What more is there to expect? There may be times that he may seek me for comfort. I can console him only so much. But...there is a question I have been wanting to ask him."
"Hmm," he seemed to think hard. Then he glanced down at her. "What question?"
"If...he was given the chance...would he wish to become an Archangel once again."
"I..." he paused. "Yes. Ask him that. I want to know, too."
"I shall when I see him again. He holds so much regret as a mortal. It does pain me to see him like that. My parents were different. They fully accepted it. But...with Tyrael..."
"I know. Come. Let's take a walk."
"Of course," she nodded. He kept her hand around his arm, as they walked through the Halls. He took her to the training chamber where angels were busy training against each other. The moment many angels saw him, they started to train harder to try and impress him. When they glanced over to see who was on his arm, many stopped and stared with shock. An explanation was needed.
"This is my champion," Imperius rang out. "She fights like I do. Auriel and Itherael can vouch for this. They were with her in Pandemonium."
"A mortal?" an angel asked.
"Her parents were angels of the High Heavens. They stripped their own wings to be together. As much as I disapproved, I forgave them when I found her on the night she was birthed. She called to me. She is my missing Light. A part of me that was missing for quite a long time. If any of you see her in battle, you are to aid her!" Imperius ordered. "It will be doubtful that she will need your help."
"Great Imperius, I do not see how she can be so powerful," another angel started. Then her mark flickered out brilliantly. She released Imperius's arm and teleported like he did to the center of the chamber. That got gasps from all of them.
"I am the champion of Imperius," she said in the same, stern tone he had, as she rose up tall. "If any of you doubt me, come forth now! If you do not, then never carry any further doubts of who I am!"
"I still hold doubts," Imperius's new lieutenant said from where he was. At her glare, he found himself silenced. Many angels murmured at this and knew who she was now.
"Imperius. It is your choice as to what happens now," she said and looked at him reverently.
"I shall call Izarius. I would have you champion yourself, but your soul is bearing my offspring," he said. That got the entire room to hush in complete silence and shock. None of them would dare to challenge her now. She was completely protected this way.
"Why should he come?" she asked calmly.
"Because, this lieutenant of mine apparently lacks in manners to you," Imperius growled. "As much as I wouldn't care to others, I refuse to see you treated as such. You are a part of me. For him to show such disrespect to you is showing disrespect to me. All of you are to clear the floor. Anaurael, come back to my side. Izarius will fight him for you."
"And, if your current lieutenant fails?" she asked, as the angels made space on the training floor.
"Then he shall have to work for my respect by doing his duties as a normal lieutenant should," Imperius nodded. She teleported back to his side, and he placed a large hand on her back. "If Izarius fails this battle, he shall be retrained to fight. I shall also forgive my lieutenant for his misconduct."
"Agreed," she nodded. When Izarius appeared, the challenging lieutenant paused in shock at the change that had happened to him. The angel had to be the same size as him, but appeared to be far more glorious in his armor from his new order to guard Anaurael. He was up to par in Archangel status now. Izarius bent on one knee to show his loyalty and honor. He withdrew his two-handed spear from his back, as he stood back up, and it glinted with holy righteousness to show that he was ready. When he watched the disorderly lieutenant, he sensed a form of shame. Fighting may be an alternate thing to do. He resorted to talk first.
"Why do you continue to slander the champion of Imperius? Has she done any wrong to you?" Izarius asked. "I have known her all her life. She even told me that, if she had her wings, she would never strip them of herself. She is honorable. Just. Valorous. She is our sister. For all she wishes to be, she truly does wish to be a full member of our family here. I see her as my little sister. I will protect her as I always have. She is not a true mortal. She is an angelic mortal. Born of two mortal angels that were just as valorous and worthy to be here as any of you today!"
"Then why did they strip their wings?! Answer me that!" the lieutenant growled.
"Because they loved each other!" Izarius replied back. "They simply could not show that here."
"But for what point? Why do such a thing? Why put yourself in a withering shell?"
"When there is no other way to show affection to another, they did what they had to do," Anaurael said softly, but loud enough to let her voice ring out.
"If you are truly his missing Light, then why don't you simply become him and cease to exist?!" the lieutenant scowled. "He was better off without you!"
"Are you truly an angel?" she asked now with a form of intense sadness for him. That got all of the other angels to glare at him. "Never in my life had I known that such hatred could come from one like you. I understand of the bitterness that Imperius held. I understand his anger. But...for it to come from someone like you..."
"I withdraw from this fight," Izarius said and withdrew his weapon. "I will not fight one that is not mentally stable. Nor fit to accept a challenge from his own words."
"I accept," Imperius nodded. Now his lieutenant seemed to gasp with complete shock. This was unexpected. "You were born when the Black Soulstone was still in our midst. Now I see the corruption it did cause. The disharmony in you. I will need to see what can be done to rectify this."
"What is to be done for him now?" she asked and looked at Imperius. He gazed down at her in a gentle way. Now the angels there saw how her mark glowed in harmony with Imperius's glowing Light from within him. They saw her for who she was. She was, truly, his champion and a part of him. His lieutenant couldn't see this. This was where his harmony was disrupted.
"I relieve you from your duties. You are to remain in your chambers until further notice," Imperius said to him. "Should they be found empty at any given time, I will hunt you down without mercy. Is this clear?"
"Yes," the lieutenant mumbled and moved to trudge off.
"You will be watched. In full..." Malthael seemed to hiss after him, and he paused. "I can see that the corruption is as deep as your hatred for the girl that I inhabit. Such a thing...is not unnoticed..."
"What?" Imperius glanced at her. He knew it was Malthael, and that this talk was not convenient.
"It is what the corruption has done. He cannot see true Light. Not the Light in her. Nor in himself. He should be culled. Lest the corruption spreads too far."
"There is nothing wrong with my mentality!" the angel scowled.
"You could not even respond properly to a challenge over your own injustice," Malthael smirked. "You are too far gone. You refuse to see it."
"You don't know that!"
"I was formerly Wisdom. There is much that I already know. Just by looking at you."
"And we see how far you have fallen from grace!"
"At least I tried to cull demons. You only seek to cull your own kind," Malthael grunted out.
"Enough!" Imperius snapped. "You are no better, Malthael! You did attack Heaven. And, as for you, you need to go! Go to your chambers!"
"Yes, Imperius," the angel muttered and left. When the powerful Archangel looked at Anaurael, she was trembling and looking away. Glancing at the other angels in the room, he stood up tall.
"If he tries to sway you into any other thinking, you report to me," Imperius ordered them all. "If his situation worsens, I will take matters into my own hands. Continue your training. I shall have Azarius and Mithus assist in small shifts. Darius and Izarius will continue to guard over my champion."
All of them agreed. He let them go back to training and pressed a hand to Anaurael's back to lead her out. When they got out into his main Halls, he gathered her up into his arms to hold her and look out over the Silver City. She pressed her face into his armored chest and sighed.
"She is stressed," Izarius muttered.
"I know. Recollect yourself, my ward. Then you will go and see Tyrael."
"Okay..." she said. Just by hearing him call her his ward again sent a familiar feeling of calm through her. It was now a word of comfort to her, and he knew this in full. She lifted herself up in his arms, and they kissed passionately.