"Your brother is planning to rise upon the earth, then forcefully ascend into Heaven. I need one of you, my most beloved angels, to meet him on Earth, and send him back down to his realm." The voice of his Father was strong. It resonated through him and his brothers from their very cores to the tips of the pure white feathers of their wings. He loved hearing his Father's voice. They all did. It filled them with a sense of completion and purpose, and they felt no other desire than to obey.
However, his Father had said 'one'. Who would it be? It would make the most sense if he chose Michael. The archangel looked around the circle of his brethren, each doing the same as he. All were equal in their Father's eyes, now. "Gabriel." He startled at his name being called. "Would you be willing to walk amongst Humanity? Be raised as one of their own for the sole purpose of sending your brother back down?" The archangel nodded his head, "Yes, Father." Why wouldn't he? His Father had asked it of him.
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He was wrapped so tightly, he felt defenseless. His face hurt from the bitingly cold wind. The nightly noises: rustling of wind in the dying leaves, the hooting of owls, the occasional cackle of a fox in the underbrush scared the babe, so he wailed. He wailed for the comforting embrace of his Father and brothers, for the comforting warmth of Heaven. Yet it did not come. He was still cold, and scared. His tiny stomach made it's needs known, and it hurt.
Soon, there was a warm light. Darker and warmer than what he was used to, but still light. He felt something pick him up, and mess with something around his neck. "Gabriel.", a voice he'd never heard before said. Instantly, he stopped crying....at least until his stomach growled again.
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Now a boy of ten years, he found he loved high places. Treetops, mountains, you could even find him on the church roof every now and then. He loved the sun, stars, the moon and sky. He didn't know why, but he didn't feel he belonged on the ground. No. He wanted to fly. Often times, he pretended to, and dreamed of it. He quickly developed his sense of balance, as well as the almost absurd ability to scale walls, cliffs and the like. As to be expected, this got him into trouble more times than not.
He also started having major mood swings. One minute, he'd be as happy as any other child could be. The next, he'd be homesick, but for what, he didn't know. All he knew was that something wasn't right. It didn't feel right. What he was being taught felt all wrong. How could God be so picky about his flock? How can someone buy passage into Heaven? Gabriel had heard rumors about what high standing officials did in their spare time, and it angered him to no end.
Of course, the only person that had ever dared approach him during one of these moods was his friend, Marie. She knew how to calm him down, usually with a hug and, "God will pass judgment upon us, not mankind." So what or who was God? Gabriel had read the texts, learned the prayers, been accepted as a squire and was well on his way to becoming a Knight of the Brotherhood.
But who was God?
Was he a loving father or a vengeful deity? Gabriel had noticed the gaps and loopholes in the Bible, and he knew it was written by Man, not God Himself. Was he both loving and vengeful? What was the whole story? What about the angels? What were they? He'd read about them being something like the Soldiers of Heaven that were sent down to Earth to do God's will, yet they were talked about as if they could do no harm.
Gabriel couldn't understand the meanings behind the rituals and prayers and the endless, needless rules. It all seemed so....over the top unnecessary. He could understand dressing up as a demon and leaving cakes outside the front door on Samhain. That wasn't worship. That was so the dark creatures would leave you alone. He understood that everything dies, then comes back to life in a never ending cycle of life, death and rebirth.
