Chapter 9: Castiel's Trial - part 4
The Verdict
The host gathered a final time. Castiel met Ariel’s eyes as she sat at the judge’s bench and waited for all assembled to stop fidgeting and pay attention. He felt at peace with himself and God. All the rest was semantics.
Ariel asked the court whether they found Castiel guilty or not guilty of treason. There was silence and then one by one each angel found him guilty. Castiel was not surprised at the verdict. Ariel rose to pass judgement and was interrupted, by, of all things, a cherub.
“Don’t kill him.” The court and Castiel looked at the cherub. Castiel recognised him as the Cupid he had tethered when Famine was loose.
“Do you have something you want to say, child?” Ariel said looking kindly upon the quivering Cupid.
“He was kind to me. Please, don’t kill him.” The Cupid replied. The court exploded in a cacophony of noise. The cherubim chirped like budgerigars amongst themselves and the angels protested the audacity of the cupid’s familiarity with an archangel.
Castiel looked questioningly at Ariel who seemed quite at ease amongst the chaos. Castiel spent another year within the circle of flames while the uproar continued. This Castiel found surprising. He thought it was obvious to even the lowliest cupid. He should be obliterated. Executed, assassinated, garrotted, hung, drawn and quartered. That was the logical sentence for his crimes. He should die.
“Castiel, Castiel!” Ariel snapped.
Castiel looked up at the archangel. The host had gone quiet and he guessed this was it. Castiel stood to attention and waited for his existence to end.
“The court finds you guilty of treason. For this you should be obliterated and your name removed from the memory of heaven. However, you have caused more harm to mankind than the Host by your actions.
The mercy of this court is that you are hereby banished from heaven. You will return to earth to assist the Righteous Man defeat the Leviathan. You shall become the Guardian Angel of Supernatural Hunters and remain so until the end of time or God sees fit to forgive you.
Unless called upon by those under your guardianship, you shall reside in the earthly house of your prophet.
This court is adjourned.”
***
The Host departed silently as Ariel moved down from the judge’s bench to again face Castiel.
“What just happened?” He blurted out at last.
“You were banished from heaven.” Arial said.
“Yes. I heard that. Why am I not dead?” Castiel asked slightly panicked, “I expected obliteration.”
“You may have expected it Castiel, however, your unintended kindness towards one of their own and the remorse you have shown during this trial, greatly affected the Cherubim. So much so, they threatened to stop spreading love if you were killed. It would appear your rather mangled attempt at teaching free will to the Host, has had unexpected results.” Ariel said the ghost of a smile playing across her lips, “It was thought you should clean up your own mess. That is what free will is all about isn’t it? Taking responsibility for the choices you make?”
“You are banishing me to Earth, to help Dean and Sam Winchester, defeat the Leviathan and then I’m to remain on earth helping them and others like them.” Castiel paraphrased.
“You unleashed the Leviathan upon Earth. The only people aware of the danger are the Winchesters and those like them. It was thought you should assist them defeat the Leviathan and any other evil that walks the earth until God sees fit to forgive you.” Ariel reminded him.
“Yes? Why live at Wednesday’s cabin? I don’t understand…aha, yes, of course, prison.” Castiel answered his own question.
“You could view it that way. It is well protected and hidden from the world.” Ariel said quenching the fire and stepping up to Castiel. “That is what the court believes.”
Ariel came forward, reached out and touched his chest. Castiel felt her brand him with her own seal. Something occurred to Castiel and he asked the archangel.
“Why did you say Wen’s hut ‘could be viewed’ as a prison?”
“It is well protected and hidden from the world.” Ariel repeated her hands still upon his chest.
“You’re lying. You’re going to kill me, aren’t you? The whole ‘mercy of court’ was just so the cherubim would do their job. Everybody else knows it’s a death sentence.” Castiel said devastated at the duplicity of this archangel. At the flicker of hope she’d just torn away. “Is this what betrayal is? How it feels? Was everything truly for nothing?” Castiel thought to himself.
“After Lucifer fell and Michael recalled us to heaven, he ordered me to help Joshua. He distrusted my affinity to mankind. He effectively removed me from the memory of the host. The Garden is so much more than you believe or imagine Castiel.” Castiel was startled to hear Ariel’s voice drifted through his thoughts.
“It is a community of all those who have lived bringing God’s word to the world, whatever their religion or culture, live in harmony. When it was time for Wednesday to be chosen for God’s work, Joshua brought me to a hut on the outskirts of the Garden Community. Here, God ordered I stay until Wednesday’s work was complete and her soul welcomed into the Garden. What was a hut for me is now her home here in heaven. It still bares my seal.” Ariel removed her hands from Castiel.
“Be wise this time. Do not force me to smite you. Goodbye, Castiel.” Ariel said then touching his forehead with her fingers banished him from heaven.
***
Castiel looked around Wen’s cabin and tried to understand exactly what just happened. He had been banished from heaven. To be banished was a death sentence to an angel. It meant being slowly starved of one’s grace. It meant falling to become mortal and remaining on earth until the long years of their existence passed and they could die. Or it meant falling as those of Lucifer’s rebellion had and becoming a creature of pure evil.
Yet, his banishment, seemed to be an opportunity for redemption. A chance to right the many wrongs his divine madness had inflicted upon earth. He doubted any of his brothers or sisters truly understood exactly what they had done for him. He ran his hands over his ribs, over the seal of his elder sister. If all she had told him was true, that her seal somehow connected him to Wen’s heaven. Did that mean he grace wouldn’t necessarily vanish? Castiel staggered a little at the implications.
Despite what Ariel had said, he soon discovered that he was indeed confined to Wen’s cabin. He spent the days much as he had done when she was alive and waited for the Winchesters to pray for guidance.
When Castiel heard the ‘ping’ of a heavenly treasure being opened he shook his head. “What have you gone and done now Dean, Sam?” He said looking out over the lake at the electrical storm. There was the ringing of a telephone and he looked around the cabin. On the table appeared a cell phone. Castiel answered. It was Dean
Chapter 10