Fallen Pt. 01

Hailey's lower lip trembled as she bit back her fear. Her expression was one of pure guilt and anxiety. She knew that, no matter what punishment she was given, she deserved it, if not more. She had broken the one rule that could not be forgiven, committed the ultimate crime. She had revealed herself to a human. Of course it had been for a good cause; the human would have died had she not revealed herself, but the intention never mattered in these situations. Revealing one's self to a mortal was absolutely unforgivable.

She watched as the Order of the Counsel, the three most powerful angels, discussed under hushed tones what punishment to bestow upon the poor angel. Would she lose her wings? Would she be put on what she called "battlefield duty"? Would she...? She gasped as the thought struck faster than she could toss it aside. She could be cast from heaven. She saw Gabriel's eyes flicker toward her at the sound of her gasp and she quickly lowered her gaze submissively as they continued. She prayed Gabriel would defend her against the possibility of being cast out of Heaven. He'd been almost like a big brother to her ever since the day she'd come to heaven, almost two years ago. When she'd woken up at night during the first several months, he'd been there to soothe her and coax her back to sleep, he'd taught her how to control the fear that plagued her nightmares, taught her how to be a guardian angel, how to use the unique abilities she'd been given to help humans on earth. Surely he wouldn't let them banish her to Hell for one mistake. Right?

After what felt like an eternity, the three counsel members turned toward her. Gabriel stood. He was ready to deliver the punishment.

"Hailey, after much thought and deliberation, we've decided to..." his hard gaze softened for the next words, knowing it would be a painful blow to the young angel, " cast you out of Heaven. Your crimes are too great for the counsel to ignore."

Hailey's knees buckled and her wings tried to hold her up, but they failed. The clouds beneath her opened, sending the young angel plummeting toward the earth at a speed too fast for the human eye to see. She screamed, flailed, and willed her wings to work, but she knew it was useless. A fallen angel's wings were useless the very moment the decision to damn them to hell was made. Beneath her, as the ground rushed up to meet her, she saw a portal open. She knew immediately where it lead and fear filled her like ice cold water. The wind whipped and pulled at her beautiful crimson tresses, matting the fine hairs and tangling them together. It stung her eyes, making them water, and tore at her beautiful white dress. Her body disappeared through the portal before crashing into the hot, unforgiving ground that marked her entrance into the underworld. The portal shut like a rubber band that had been stretched and then suddenly released. Hailey had no time to observe her surroundings before she landed and her head smacked against the ground with a solid crack!, rendering the young, beautiful angel unconscious almost immediately.

Her body lay limp on the ground, wings splayed at an awkward angle behind her, her dress torn in various places and smudged with dirt, her beautiful red curls tangled and laying every direction, some on the ground, some covering her innocently beautiful face from anyone who may have been watching the scene unfold before them.

Two demons had witnessed Hailey's descent from grace and immediately ran off to notify Erix, the demon king, telling him of the pale girl with hair like liquid fire and large white wings. When asked what her face looked like, neither demon could supply an answer, explaining that they hadn't taken the time to observe the girl further.

Regardless, Erix was intrigued by what description the other two males had provided. An angel? It couldn't be. In all his time down in hell, Erix had only witnessed one other fallen angel besides himself. It was extremely rare for an angel to be cast out of heaven. This was something that called for his full attention.

"Lead me to the girl." Erix commanded, pleased when the two demon's immediately obeyed.

It took the three demons several hours to make their way back to where the girl had landed and, surprisingly, she was still unconscious, in the same position as she'd landed in. Erix was immediately fascinated by the girl. She was indeed, an angel and easily the most beautiful person he'd ever laid his eyes on. He stepped closer to her and crouched down next to her, sweeping her silky red hair out of her face. There was something so utterly innocent in her features, even while unconscious, it gave Erix the overwhelming desire to break her.

He could envision it, the girl kneeling before him, ready for whatever "games" he wished to play that day, the way she'd cry as he worked to strip her of her inhibition and morals, the way she would transform from a self-righteous fallen angel to... well, whatever he wanted. A shiver of excitement ran down his spine as the images flickered through his mind.

"Go tell Varys to gather all the nobility and important people in the kingdom. Oh, and my advisors. There is much to do. Have the castle servants start on dinner and prepare the castle for a guest. They'll know what to do. Hurry! I expect all preparations to be completed before we arrive." Erix ordered.

The two demons rushed off to do their King's bidding. Erix turned to look at the girl once more, an arrogant smirk tugging at the corners of his lips. With a loud, high-pitched whistle, a large cloud of black smoke appeared next to Erix, revealing a massive white stallion as the smoke dissipated. The horse was fully equipped with saddle and reigns, making it easy for Erix to pick up Hailey and climb onto the Stallion's back, cradling Hailey in his left arm while he gripped the reigns in his right hand.

"Good boy, Caz." Erix praised as the stallion launched into a gallop in the general direction of the castle.

After about thirty minutes, Erix slowed Caz to a slow rhythmic trot. He wanted the angel to be fully conscious when they got to the castle. So many of his plans depended on how he would introduce her to his people and the darker side of his desire had won the argument between earning her love and making her his Queen or breaking her will and making her his plaything. There was no room for tenderness. Or error, for that matter.

For two hours, his mind played scenario after scenario that he could do with this girl. The parties where he could show her off, the benefits he could gain by showing everyone just how merciless he truly could be. For all his time down here, Erix had never been able to earn the same reputation here that he held on Earth. This could change everything for him and he knew it. That knowledge made him all the more excited.

Eventually, Erix stopped Caz, giving the stallion time to drink from the lake. They would rest there until Hailey woke up. If they kept going, the possibility of the angel waking before they got to the castle would become very slim. Erix gently placed Hailey against a large oak tree before going to the river to gather some water. Maybe she'd wake up if he splashed it on her?

When he returned, he was surprised to find the angel already awake, and apparently making fast work of creating a friendship with Caz, which was impressive. Caz never let anyone besides Erix and the stable hand near him, but it seemed even the stallion was unable to resist the girl's charms. Erix stood back and watched for a while, noting every feature about Hailey as he did. He hadn't noticed before just how long her hair was, or the curve of her hips, or the way that she radiated an amount of grace that even most angels found hard to achieve. The way her hands gently ran down Caz's back and the way she smiled when the stallion nudged her with his nose, a sign of affection even Erix rarely was gifted with.

He stepped out into full view and cleared his throat, watching with a hint of amusement as the angel flinched from the sudden noise and spun around to face him, her green eyes wide, reminding him of a doe in headlights.

"You're awake." Erix stated simply as Hailey slowly took in the sight of him, from head to toe, before her gaze lingered on his face. He knew what she was seeing, though he couldn't begin to guess what she may be thinking.

Hailey watched as he drew closer to her. There was something... beautiful about him, something that reminded her of heaven, but she couldn't place it. In physical appearance, he was the epitome of what she'd always envisioned a demon to look like; black eyes that looked like they could devour an entire soul, tall, muscular, extremely handsome, a chiseled jaw line, and of course black wings. Hailey, however had never seen one before.

She flinched as he reached out to sweep a lock of her hair behind her shoulder. Something about him was extremely intimidating. Her heart raced within her chest as he picked her up by her hips, a startled gasp escaping her lips, and settled her in Caz's saddle, before climbing on behind her and grabbing the reigns. Caz took off in a sprint. As he ran, Erix pulled Hailey against his chest, his grip tight and unforgiving, causing Hailey to whimper softly.

"I can't wait for you to see what I've got in store for you, little angel." Erix growled in her ear, chuckling as he felt her shiver against him.

Finally, they arrived at the castle and Erix slid off the stallion, quickly pulling Hailey off after him.

"L-let go of me..." Hailey hissed, squirming in Erix's arms.

"Do you really want me to let go, little angel?"

"Yes!"

Erix laughed, a dark and menacing sound, and released her. Before she could move away from him, he grabbed her wrist as a servant appeared silently next to him.

"My Lord, do you need assistance?" The girl asked, keeping her gaze lowered as she addressed Erix.

"Yes. Fetch me one of the spare dog collars and a leash." Erix replied, keeping hold of Hailey's wrist, despite her efforts to pry his fingers open.

The servant disappeared once more into the castle. While they waited, a stable hand came and led Caz away, looking over his shoulder at the new girl.

"Now, now, little angel. Be patient. She'll be back shortly and then I won't touch you anymore."

Hailey froze at his words. What was he planning? She could see the chaos and mischief in his hard gaze as he watched her.

The servant returned silently, behind Hailey. She had a small suspicion how her King wanted the collar and leash to be used. Erix gave a quick, subtle nod to the servant, who quickly slid the collar around Hailey's throat and snapped it closed, deftly threading a heart shaped lock through the two D-rings on either side of the snap that held the collar closed. The lock clicked with a sound of finality and in the same moment, the servant hooked the leash onto the front O-ring. It all happened much to fast for Hailey to have a chance to react until after the leash had been handed to Erix.

"Thank you, you are dismissed." He said to the servant before turning back to Hailey and giving a very patronizing "Good girl."

Erix laughed as he released her wrist. Hailey's cheeks flamed red at the phrase and her gaze hardened into a glare. She lifted her hands to the coarse leather of the collar, attempting to remove it, before her fingers felt the hard surface of the lock.

"I always keep my promises, little angel, but we can't have you trying to run off just yet."

The way Erix said the words hinted at something much darker than Hailey could imagine.

"P-please... take this off. I won't run away. I just... I'm so confused..." Hailey whimpered softly, still tugging at the lock on the collar, praying it would malfunction and open for her.

Without answering her, Erix made his way up the stairs of the castle, toward the two large oak doors that led into the grand building, giving Hailey no choice but to follow. She kept her head down, her hair falling over both shoulders to make a makeshift cover, hiding her face from view. Each step she took behind Erix only multiplied the humiliation she felt. He led her to a large room lined with large oak dining tables and benches on either side. She knew the room was full of other demons just from the noise they made when Erix entered, cheering, laughing, and talking loudly over one another. Erix stopped occasionally to make small talk with several demons, tugging on the leash as if making sure she was still there. Once, he pulled hard enough to make her stumble and the room erupted with laughter as she fell to her hands and knees. As she attempted to stand, she felt his foot pressing down ever so slightly on her back, keeping her on her hands and knees.

"Stay, little angel. I rather enjoy the sight of you in this position." Erix almost purred.

Hailey thought back to when they stood outside, how the servant had addressed him as "my Lord", and suddenly, realization dawned on her. He was the king down here, which meant... She lifted her head to look up at him. His attention was no longer on her, his back turned to her.

"Lucifer...?" She asked softly, her tone one of both awe and fear.

Slowly, Erix turned to face her. His expression was dark and anger radiated off his body like heat waves, causing Hailey to flinch under his hard gaze. He pulled her up by the leash until she was standing on the tips of her toes, hands wrapped around her collar to keep it from digging into her throat. The room had gone eerily quiet, everyone watching, waiting to see what their king would do to the poor girl who had dared to call him by that name.

"What did you just call me?" Erix seethed, releasing the leash suddenly and shoving Hailey back.

"I... you're Lucifer, aren't you?" Hailey questioned, oblivious to the fact that that name had been what triggered his sudden anger.

The blow came so quick that Hailey had no time to try to evade it. The back of his hand landed against her cheek, the echo of it mixing with Hailey's pained yelp as she fell back onto her rear.

"I-I..." she stuttered as Erix advanced toward her, his hands balled into fists at his sides.

"You don't speak! You lost that right when you chose to call me that damned name!" He growled, grabbing a fist full of her red hair and yanking her to her feet once more, satisfied when he noticed the tears filling her emerald eyes. "You are nothing. You will do what I say, when I say and if I ever hear another word pass those pretty little lips of yours, you will be begging God to save you. But he won't. Because you're worthless."

A sob escaped Hailey's throat as Erix threw her across the room, watching as her body crashed into one of the dining tables. The tears fell, sliding down her cheeks as she stood, trembling, and lifted her gaze to his.

The other demons in the room gasped collectively at her nerve. She was brave, but she was also incredibly stupid.

"How was I supposed to know you don't like that name? That is the name you're known by everywhere, except apparently here!" She cried, swiping a hand across her cheeks to rid them of the tears that had fallen. "And you... you don't get to tell me what worth I hold. You know nothing about me or why I was sent here!"

Erix's top lip curled up in disgust as he glared at Hailey. Before he could do anything else, Hailey turned and fled from the room, the echo of her sobs trailing after her. He cursed under his breath and chased after her. He couldn't let her defy him like this in front of all these people. It would hurt his reputation more than help it.

Hailey heard him follow and quickly turned down a dark path that had a slow steady descending staircase. She followed the stairs as fast as she could, glancing over her shoulder as she did. She saw his shadow pass by and she breathed a sigh of relief, slowing her steps until she was stopped on the stairs. She panted heavily, her tears still streaming steadily down her cheeks.

Did Gabriel know what was happening? Did he know this would happen? Was being cast out of heaven not the true punishment for her crime?

The thought made her tears come faster and she slid to the floor, pulling her knees to her chest and letting out a heartbroken sob. If this was her punishment, she should endure it. She knew that, but she couldn't bring herself to accept it. The staircase darkened and, without looking up, Hailey knew Erix had found her. She trembled with fear as she heard his slow methodical descent toward her.

"There you are, little angel. I was afraid you might miss the first game I had planned." Erix spoke slowly, obviously attempting to control his anger. He bent down to grab hold of the leash, watching the sobbing girl. A part of him he'd believed long dead felt sorry for her, felt bad for what he'd already put her through, and felt even worse knowing what he had planned. The guilt stopped him. Could he really treat her this badly? Could he really render her as useless as he'd claimed in the throne room?

The weakness he felt made him angry once more and he pulled hard on the leash.

"Follow. We'll deal with the broken rules later, but for now, we must be getting back." He ordered, turning and making his way back up the staircase, not caring in the slightest that she would struggle to keep up with him, having been given no opportunity to stand.

"Oh, and one more thing, little angel, I better never see you walk again, unless I tell you to do so. You will learn to keep up with me even while crawling like the lowly animal you are. Stupid pet..." he muttered the last part under his breathe before chuckling at the sudden idea. Yes, that is what he would make of her. A pet. Trained and broken to only obey his command and nothing else.

She remained silent the entire way back to the throne room, her focus on trying to bring herself to accept the punishment Gabriel had given her. Perhaps it was a lesson in obedience. It certainly would be fitting, seeing as how she was cast out for breaking a rule and now was being given hard to follow rules. Yes, this must be her true punishment. If Gabriel was watching, she vowed to make him proud, to follow the rules she was given to the absolute best of her abilities. No, better than that. Her best had proven to be not good enough, so she'd do better, try harder.

The throne room was still silent when they entered and Hailey was somewhat glad for the quiet atmosphere. Erix tugged harder on the leash, forcing Hailey to crawl faster behind him until he got to his throne and sat down. She kept her gaze on the floor as he spoke, issuing yet another rule.

"Whenever I am sitting, you will kneel, silently, next to my right hand so that I may touch you whenever I please. You will not pull away from me or try to move out of my reach." He then turned his attention to the rest of the room while Hailey moved to kneel at his right hand, keeping her head bowed submissively. "Let's serve dinner."

The room seemed to come alive in that moment as servants who'd stopped working to watch the scene jumped back to their tasks, rushing from the room, the other demons resumed their conversations, and a group of five large men approached the throne.

"We heard you called for your advisors, my Lord. How can we assist you?" One of the men asked, his voice soft so that only the seven of them could hear.

"I am considering making this angel my pet. I do not see any harm in doing so but I want your input. Will it hurt my reputation as King if I do so?" Erix inquired.

The question startled Hailey and she let out a soft whine, tears pricking at her eyes once more. She could only imagine what he meant by "pet".

"No, my Lord. I do not believe it would hurt your reputation. It may actually help. You have gone a wee bit soft. The display earlier definitely got everyone's attention." One of the five men stated after several moments.