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Of course Gadreel had recognized the man at first sight. How could he not? For years they had seen nothing but each other, had only each other to rely on. They had spent seven hundred years together, and that was not something one could just forget.
Every day in that dungeon was the same. He would wake up, try desperately to twist his shackled limbs into a somewhat comfortable position and then, failing that, he would simply sit and wait for the heavy footsteps of Thaddeus, Heaven’s torturer. He would take everything the guard threw at him with a straight face and his head held high, acting as indifferently as he could to everything Thaddeus poked and twisted in him, trying desperately to ignore the pain that burned through his body as parts that weren’t meant to bend were forced past their limits and twisted until they were barely attached. He would hold it together as best he could until Thaddeus left, then he would sit and wait for the next day to come. An endless cycle of suffering.
Abner arriving had been the first change in thousands of years. He still remembered the first day they had brought him in. The other angel had argued and struggled, lashing out against his captors as they threw him into the cell next to Gadreel’s own. He remembered watching the other prisoner with an almost fearful curiosity. What had this man done? he remembered wondering. Is he dangerous?
Now the thought of Abner being any sort of threat was almost laughable. Once they had started talking, it didn’t take long for Gadreel to see the good in the other angel’s heart. His crime had been some minor fault, deserting his post, and he remembered listening with a smile as Abner ranted about the lack of free will in Heaven. But for the first little while, the two didn’t talk to each other at all.
He remembered the first time Abner had been forced to sample Thaddeus’ cruel form of “justice”. Remembered the voice he had come to associate with strength and defiance crying out in pain as Thaddeus worked his magic. Remebered hearing the crack of bones and the blood curdling screams from the cell over, remembered seeing Thaddeus smirk over at him every time he flinched, the sound of the stranger’s pain resounding through his mind.
He remembered what happened after Thaddeus finally left Abner, lying broken and bloodied on the cold, stone floor. He remembered the guard’s scathing comment about him deserving it for deserting his post as he moved onto Gadreel. He barely noticed the torture this time, his resistance had built up a great deal over time and his mind was too busy focused on other things, namely sympathy for this unknown brother of his.
Finally, Thaddeus had left. Gadreel had looked over at the broken body next to him with pain in his eyes, remembering the first time Thaddeus had tortured him. He remembered being hurt and alone, remembered crying out pleas for help to the empty room. And he remembered the emptiness he had felt when no one responded.
He would not let this angel suffer the same horrific loneliness he had felt. “Hello?” he called softly. The man didn’t respond, not that Gadreel had expected him to. “It’s alright.” This one got him a response, a derisive snort. “It will be alright,” he corrected himself. “This pain will not last. It gets better. Eventually, you will learn to ignore it,” he promised.
No answer.
Gadreel sighed and walked over to the edge of the cell. The stranger flinched away, scrambling to move back from the approaching figure. “Please, I am not going to hurt you,” he assured him, pressing himself against the edge of the cell. He reached his arm through the bars, pressing two fingers against the nearest broken limb. He closed his eyes, focusing what little strength he had left on healing the other prisoner all the while whispering soft words of encouragement. “It’s ok”, “I’m here”, “the pain will be gone soon, I promise.” Finally, when he couldn’t take the strain on his Grace any longer, he stopped. He fell back with a loud thud, his head spinning from exhaustion.
For a while all was silent, Gadreel’s deep breathing the only sound to be heard as the other angel watched him curiously, gently flexing his newly healed muscles.
“My name is Abner,” he said finally.
Gadreel smiled weakly, still lying on the floor. “I am Gadreel.”
And from that moment this had become a routine. The two would talk through all hours of the night and day, sharing stories and laughter. They became friends and shared many smiles and laughter despite their otherwise terrible situation. Abner was the thing that made life in that cell bearable for Gadreel, and vice versa.
And whenever Thaddeus came to torture them, Gadreel would always speak through the bars, encouraging Abner to hold on and be strong, ignoring the extra punishment he got for doing so. And when it was over, Gadreel would heal Abner, and himself if the stubborn angel was conscious enough to force him to. They were held together by a powerful bond, one that nothing, not even torture, could break.
Or so I thought…Gadreel reflected sadly, looking down at the face that would never again light up with Abner’s smile, at the bloody, torn up body that reminded him so much of those long torture sessions in the dungeon that he couldn’t bare to look anymore. He knelt down, gently closing the eyes of the vessel Abner had claimed.
“I’m sorry…” he whispered, standing up to go wash the blood off his hands.
But although the sticky red liquid may have come off with water, he knew that in the proverbial sense the blood on his hands was a permanent stain that would never come off. Not with water, not with apologies…never. The pain in Gadreel’s heart was so great he couldn’t help but wonder…
Would staining his heart and soul like this truly make him happy?