Years passed.
Angelica had made multiple escape attempts. Her most recent one had brought her to the edge of a cliff. A cliff that was supposedly a gateway to the Underworld. Just before she could jump, she was grabbed. She had screamed, begged for Malphas to come save her, to pull her down into the barren Hellscape, to rescue her from this horrible life. She couldn't take it anymore. Her once flawless body was covered in bruises and scars. Scars that when she was in the presence of her father, would be healed straight away, returning her flawless skin. It had been a hundred and thirty years.
All throughout that time she had tried to escape.
She was dragged back to Laverne Manor instead of the dungeons this time, and she grew slightly hopeful her father wished to stop this horrid abuse. She had been whipped, starved, beaten, had her eyes ripped out and then spent months regenerating them. She could remember how life was before. She could still remember those days, sparring with Lucian, sparring with her father, sometimes even Raphael. When she was brought to Laverne Manor, Raphael was there, looking somewhat sympathetic. Angelica limped inside. She had put up a good fight this time.
She stood tall, pushing the fear back. She carried herself with dignity, walked through the halls like a queen, covered in the blood of her enemies. She was breathing heavily, and her body heaved with each movement. Her silver blue eyes were cold as ice. She refused to accept defeat. Her father entered the hall. A sad look in his eyes. "Angelica. My beloved dau-" Angelica snarled, "Save me your lecture you fool! Release me! Let me go! I've been kind to you for too long! You are no longer my father! As far as I am concerned, I have no father!" There was an audible gasp from the Angelic Guard and one of them jabbed her with a spear. "You speak to the Arch! And your father! Behave yourself!" Angelic went to snap, but her father beat her to it.
"Enough. Leave us alone. I wish to speak to my daughter in private. Remove her shackles."
Angelica's eyes widened in surprise. Had he finally changed his mind? She bit back the hope. No, impossible. Her father would never change. When she was unchained, he looked at her concerned and came over to help her. "Here, let me help you." Angelica relaxed against her father, catching the scent of his cologne. He used to wear that all the time when she was younger. It had made her feel so safe... Her father brought her to the living room and sat her down. "Let me get a doctor, you look terrible, little dove." he paused, "Please. Do not leave. I would like to speak to you." Angelica was conflicted as he left. But something made her stay, perhaps it was the faint hope her father would change his mind. Would accept her and Malphas. Would let her go...
He returned with a doctor, who began tending to her wounds while her father spoke. "I have come to realize that the current methods... Are not quite the best." He frowned at his daughter. "I realize I cannot simply through torture force you to change your mind." Angelica sighed, "So you have finally come to your senses then?" She said, "You will let me go so I can be with my beloved?" Her father was silent. "He did not love you." Angelica sighed, "He does-" Her father set a newspaper down before her. "He has a mate. bound in 1647. Her name is Lilli." He sighed, "I showed you this in hopes you would understand. Look at him. Lord Malphas Desideriis, happily mated to one of the Lilum."
He knelt before his daughter who stared at the news clipping with tear filled eyes. "If he truly loved you, Angelica. He would have never taken a mate. He would have waited for you." He stood. "I understand you loved him, my daughter. But he did not care for you. So I implore you, move on from him." Angelica threw the paper into the fire. "No." She said coldly, "He wouldn't. Even if he did- he probably thinks that I betrayed him! Which..." She trailed off. Her father nodded, "In a sense you did betray him. You informed me of your relationship. Had you not, you would be mated to him now. That or dead considering he is a demon."
Angelica shut her eyes, tears running down her cheeks. "He would never hurt me. He must think I am dead." She choked on her tears before wiping them away and looking a bit more put together. "If anything, I am happy he found happiness. But I am most happy that he survived." She hiccupped. "If one of us has to suffer, I would rather it be me than him." her father looked shocked. "You truly are an Arch," he hummed thoughtfully, his back to her as he rifled through a bag the doctor had brought. Angelica sat back, the doctor leaving as he finished tending to her.
"So you will forget about this demon?" Her father asked, "You know he is happy and elsewhere."
Angelica shook her head, "I will never forget about him. I will never stop loving him. I do plan to go visit him and tell him what happened and beg for his forgiveness. I would at least like to be his friend again." She smiled sadly, "He was my best friend..." Her father cleared his throat, "What about Lucian? Or Raphael?" Angelica shook her head, "They aren't him." her father looked at her, hands behind his back. "Angelica. Please, I beg of you. Forget about him. Please." Angelica shook her head, "it won't be done. I'm sorry."
Her father walked over and tilted her chin up, "Then I am sorry to do this to you again." Angelica's eyes widened, "What are you-" He shoved a syringe into her neck and shushed her, "Relax, it will sedate you. You'll just sleep. And when you wake up you won't remember him again." Angelica choked, "What are you talking about?!" He sighed, "We have done this many times, Angelica. Thankfully this is not like the last time. Do you remember? Who am I kidding, of course you do not. I was careful of which memories I restored to your record." He looked at her, "Last time I let you say good bye to him. He gave you those wounds in your back. You remember the ones that hurt so much? You cried, you couldn't sleep on your back for months." Angelica looked alarmed, "I- I don't remember- why can't I remember?! What did you do to me?!"
Her father shushed her, "Shush! I just helped you! You're going to be fine! You'll wake up and it'll be just like how things were before that demon. You'll forget all about him again." He sighed, "You must forgive me, I thought that making you remember him would help, especially after I discovered he found someone else." Angelica was choking and her mouth began to foam a bit as her body tried to reject it. Her father shushed her, and laid her down on the couch. "Rest. You will feel better when you wake." He smiled. "I promise. Things will be better this way, dove."
Angelica Laverne woke a few days later. Her mind was a mess. Ow... My head.... why does it hurt? Angelica whine and called out, "Papa? Papa, can you come in here?" Her father returned, smiling "It is alright, dove. You just got hurt flying." Angelica noticed the wraps on her body. "What?" She murmured. Her father sat on the edge of the bed. "You and Raphael were messing about and you ran into a wall." He chuckled and ruffled her hair gently.
"You simply must be more careful Angelica." He sighed, "Honestly, I am not sure what I would do if I lost you." His daughter smiled at him, nothing but adoration for her father in her eyes. "You would never lose me Papa. Promise." Her father smiled a bit wider and he kissed the top of her head. "That's my girl. Get some rest, Angelica. You are still weak." Angelica shut her eyes and nodded slowly. "Yes, Papa..." He father left the room and she laid back. She couldn't quite remember what happened. She searched her mind for the incident. Nothing. Tears ran down her cheeks when she found she could remember next to nothing. "Papa!" She wailed jumping out of bed and running out of her room. Her body ached with each step and she burst into her father's study where he sat with her Uncle Gabriel. Both their eyes widened at the sight of her and they rushed to catch her as she started to fall.
"Angelica!"
Gabriel caught her and helped her over to a chair while she cried, "I can't remember anything Papa! Why can't I remember anything? My mind is completely blank!" Her father looked slightly alarmed, "Tell me what you can remember." He said. He looked at Gabriel, "Would you go bring her a glass of water Gabriel? And then ask the cooks to fix some tea and cookies?" Gabriel nodded and left. Angelica was in tears, "Why is my mind blank?! My head- it hurts! Like a herd of horses has trampled it! I can feel something missing, Papa! What happened to me?!" Her father shushed her, "Angelica. Relax, you were in an accident. You hit your head very hard. It could be some time before you remember everything."
He smiled as Gabriel returned with the water and handed it to his daughter, "Here. Drink some water. It will help calm you." Angelica shakily took the glass of water in her trembling hands and drank. Her father stood and was stroking her hair as he spoke to his brother. "I apologize, Gabriel. We will have to continue this conversation another time. I need to tend to my daughter." Gabriel nodded, "Yes. Of course." He smiled at his niece, "Do feel better soon Angelica. I hope to see you soon." Angelica nodded shakily and leaned on her father.
She could not remember a thing. She knew people. She knew the faces of the Silver City. But she could not remember full days. Weeks. Months. Years. All gone from her mind. She shut her eyes and let her father carry her to the living room where he sat her on the chaise. She opened her silver blue eyes weakly to see a tea set on the coffee table before her, alongside a plate of cookies of every flavor. Her father sat across from her, "Have something to eat, maybe that will help." Angelica shook her head weakly, "I don't feel very well Papa..." Her eyes flashed weakly and she looked at him from where she rested on the chaise. Michael Laverne smiled and sat back in his seat, crossing one leg over the other. "Of course you don't my little dove, you were wounded in an accident." Angelica shut her eyes. "Then why can't I remember?..." Her father sighed, "Sweetheart, you were hurt very badly." Angelica nodded, "I know... But..." She sighed, "Papa- if I hit my head, why does the rest of my body hurt so much? Why am I in such great pain? And why... Why do my wings hurt?"
Her father watched wide eyed as she unfurled her wings, revealing the bandaged appendages. Her eyes widened when she caught sight of herself in a mirror. "Mon Dieu." She stood and rushed over to the mirror, limping and stumbling all the way. Her father sighed, "Angelica." Angelica gasped in horror at the sight and then hurried to the hall where there was a larger mirror. She let out a choked cry of fear and horror, her hands coming up to cover her mouth as she saw her wounded body.
There was a bandage over her left eye, her wings were bandages and crudely cut, the rest of her body was covered in bandages, she lifted her night shirt a bit to see multiple gashes on her abdomen, they looked like... claw marks? Maybe the marks of a whip? How? She was shaking now, something did not add up. But why would her father lie? Papa didn't lie. Papa was a good angel. A great one even- he ruled over Heaven with a fair hand. He had built up a paradise after the Creator vanished.
"Angelica. Daughter."
She gasped and turned to see her father. She was shaking. "Papa... These wounds... They cannot have come from merely hitting my head..." Her father sighed, "Come with me, and sit down."
He sat her on the chaise, wrapped her in a blanket, ensured she was safe and sound before he began his story. "Angelica. Honey, you... You fell in love with a demon. He tricked you. Lured you into a trap. Had Raphael not informed me you were seeing a demon you would be dead right now." His eyes welled with tears, as if only explaining what happened hurt him deeply. "You- oh sweetheart, you see the good in everything. Even evil things like those horrible creatures. The demon was trying to kill you." Angelica gasped and she felt a brief memory come back.
Snarling. Claws, or were they talons?- dug into her flesh and she heard her own frightened gasp.
Her father continued, "He was just about to take your soul when Raphael and I arrived with the Guard."
She vaguely recalled hearing her father's voice as well as Raphael's.
"What happened then?" She asked carefully. Her father sighed, "The demon was wounded. But he lives. He wanders the earth." He sighed, "Angelica, promise me you will never go to the mortal human realm. It is a dangerous place my daughter, too dangerous for you. You can never go there, do you understand, Angelica?" Angelica took a moment to process this.
I trust Papa. He would never steer me wrong.
She smiled and nodded, "I understand Papa. Thank you for telling me the truth." Her father chuckled and hugged her, "Yes. But the other angels believe you hit your head. So if anyone asks, let's keep it to that, hmm?" Angelica laughed, "That sounds fair Papa! Though I cannot understand one thing." She took a cookie and sat back. Her father hummed, "What is that my dear?" Angelica chuckled to herself,
"How on earth could I have fallen in love with a demon of all things?"