Remembrance (Of Things Past) - Above: Part One
And Gabriel dreamed. Nothing was up for Gabriel, nothing was down either. No left, no right. He floated in the void, then he remembered.
It was beautiful; he had forgotten how beautiful it was. Every morning as the seven moons set and the Garden filled with golden honeyed light, he was struck anew by the beauty of creation. A flock of parakeets dipped and swirled overhead, a lion, all shades of topaz and gold and colours in-between, ran and rolled across the verdant park, gazelle jumping nimbly out the way, undisturbed by the large predator amongst them.
The dawn chorus rose from tree to tree, nightingales, larks, a thousand birds of paradise, before the sound swelled as thousands of angels lifted their voices in joy and praise. Gabriel’s vision blurred and glittered as crystalline tears filled his eyes, his voice raised in a joyous hosanna. The sound rose and rose and then drifted away into the soft sigh of wind, the gentle rustle of feathers resettling, the Garden returning to its usual morning pursuits.
Gabriel stretched arms and wings wide, the soft breeze ruffling bronzed hair and gilded feathers. He let his wings flap lazily before folding them back against his spine and allowing them to fade back into his skin. Leaning on the sill of the window he reached into the trees that grew close to the wall of his home, fingers closing around the smooth skin of a pear. Biting into the soft sweetness, he wandered through his suite of rooms, juice trickling down his chin, dripping onto his chest.
The sound of laughter and running footsteps drew him downstairs into the large open room that formed the bottom floor of the house. Doors flew open with crash, Lucifer and Michael almost falling through them.
“Haha! I won!” crowed Michael, a broad smile lighting his face. “You may be the brightest and prettiest, but I am still fast....” Michael’s final word was swallowed in a yelp as Lucifer used his extra reach to tangle his foot between Michael’s legs, causing Lucifer and Michael to roll in a tangle of limbs and smothered laughter across the marble floor, ending up sprawled at Gabriel’s feet.
A slender hand reached out, golden fingers tickling Gabriel’s bare toes.
“I think I reached him first, brother.”
Gabriel smiled, bending to his brothers.
“There is no need to fight over me, I have greetings enough for both of you. And here I thought I was the youngest brother, yet you are more playful than me!” Gabriel smirked as his slender fingers found ribs, bringing another peal of laughter from his brothers.
“Peace, peace!” cried Michael. Gabriel resisted the urge to torment his brothers further, allowing them to untangle limbs and rise gracefully from the cool marble floor. Lucifer’s smile lit the room as he reached for his younger brother, sliding golden skinned fingers up the length of Gabriel’s inner forearm, grasping his elbow and pulling him close.
He bent his head to Gabriel’s, pale gold hair mixing in with the darker bronze curls, clear blue eyes lit with joy.
“I greet you on this beautiful morning brother.”
“And I greet you, brother mine.” Gabriel rubbed his face against his brother’s, an exchange of warmth, scent, a brushing touch of minds and auras. Lucifer brushed his lips gently across Gabriel’s. He drew back with a smile.
“Sticky with pear juice! Do you hold us in such low esteem that you do not even wash before you come to greet us?”
Michael grinned, trailing his finger down Gabriel’s chest, collecting the spilled juice,
“I think he mocks us, my brother. Perhaps…” Warm brown eyes flicked up and met Lucifer’s blue ones. Before Gabriel could even think of moving, Michael had wrapped strong arms around him, his chest pressing up against Gabriel’s back, denying Gabriel his wings. Lucifer waved his hand at the doors, throwing them wide, then almost in the same motion, taking hold of Gabriel’s legs.
Gabriel spluttered and struggled, but knew that he had almost no chance of overpowering one, let alone both, of his older brothers. They manhandled him out of the building, wings spreading as soon as they were out in the open. Even amongst the six winged Seraphim, Lucifer’s wings were a thing of wonder. Flaring out into a 16 foot span, the flight feathers blazed golden, the edges tipped with iridescence. The smaller feathers that formed the main part of the wing were all the colours of honey, from pale yellow gold, to almost a warm toffee where they neared Lucifer’s body.
He heard the sound of Michael’s wings spreading behind his head, and then there was a jerking feeling as he was pulled into the air, legs rising above his head as Lucifer’s greater wingspan pulled him into the air faster than Michael. Gabriel clutched desperately at Michael, arms trying to reach behind his own back to gain some kind of secure hold. His fingers brushed into the soft down that coated the inner wing, Michael jerked and flapped heavily.
There was a sudden plunge and then his brothers dropped him. Gabriel twisted his head to see the sparkle of lake water coming up fast towards his face. Almost reflexively he bit off his yell of surprise, closing mouth and eyes against the sudden pressure of the cold water. He smiled at the startled fish, before propelling himself upwards, head breaking through the ripples still spreading from his entry.
He looked upwards to his brothers, still hovering. He didn’t need to see their faces to know their smiles would be bright with stifled laughter. He allowed his feet to rise up so that he was floating languidly on his back; a soft wave of his hand removed his chiton, draping it over a nearby tree. If his brothers felt the need to drop him in a lake, he might as well enjoy it.
He watched as Michael flapped his wings hard, dark flight feathers flexing to catch the updrafts. Although Michael’s wings were dark to Lucifer’s gold, they held their own beauty. The flight feathers ran the spectrum of the dark plums and blues of the corvid family, the inner feathers a mix of softer greys and striated blues. Gabriel watched entranced as Michael flipped his body, wings folding back and disappearing, as he plunged in a headlong dive into the water. He was still staring upwards when he felt fingers grasp his ankle and jerk downwards.
Gabriel let his body go limp. His brothers thought that they could tease him again, did they? He sank down into the dark waters, rotating his body, legs and hips flexing in a muscular wave to push him deeper. He turned, irises shrinking to a golden ring as his pupils widened to use the little light there was available.
He spotted Michael treading water and then the plunge as Lucifer entered the lake, both of them diving, heads searching. Gabriel moved, sleek and silent as the sharks his Father had designed. His whole body was flexing to push him through the water, rather than the smaller, faster movements of hands and feet that his brothers were making. Gabriel circled round behind his brothers, rising slowly from the depths, before driving his body upwards, his added muscle mass giving him the impetus to grab an ankle from each brother and haul them upwards with him as he porpoised out of the water.
He swam quickly backwards, letting his brothers splutter and cough out their outrage at being tricked by their younger brother.
“Come on bro’s. Aren’t we even now?”
Lucifer laughed, unable to stay cross at Gabriel for long. As he relaxed and turned, floating on his back, Gabriel’s attention turned to Michael, who frowned.
“Still Gabriel, that was a mean trick.”
“What bro? It’s not like I could’ve drowned or anything. Aw, come on Mikey, don’t stay cross at me.”
Gabriel swam over to Michael, leaning his head onto Michael’s shoulder, turning so he could float in front of Michael, eyes looking up into Michael’s stern face.
“You know I never can.” The words were sighed out and then Michael allowed his body to relax, hips rising up next to Gabriel’s as they floated side by side, Gabriel’s head resting against his big brother’s shoulder.
It was Lucifer who broke the silence first, reminding his brothers of their duties. They each swam and waded to the shore, bodies drying quickly in the warm sun. Gabriel wrapped his pale chiton around his body.
“I go to see our Father’s new work. Are you off to the training fields, Michael?”
Michael nodded at Lucifer. “Indeed. We have sparring practice today. I am thinking that it may be time to introduce some swords, see if any of the instruction I have been giving has taken root. And what of you, Gabriel?”
“I think I will go prepare the medics,” laughed Gabriel. “No, it is my turn to oversee the scribes in the Hall of Records. A long, dull day awaits.” Gabriel mock pouted.
“But there is always amusement to be found. Do you remember the day I changed the design records for the platypus. Honestly, I thought someone would have noticed before it went before our Father, but noooo. Perhaps you could bring one of your wooden swords Michael, and beat some brains into their thick heads.”
Michael laughed softly before spreading his wings and taking off towards the wide plans where mock battles took place.
“I will see you both at moonrise, my brothers.”
Lucifer reached out again to Gabriel, pulling him into a short embrace.
“Please try to behave yourself.” The words were said with long suffering exasperation.
“Brother, it hurts that you have so little faith in me.”
Lucifer brushed a gentle kiss across Gabriel’s forehead.
“It is not lack of faith, but experience.” The words were tempered with a smile and Lucifer waved a fond hand and took off towards the Mount.
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