FALLEN ANGEL: MARRIED TO THE DEMON KING
Chapter 71: VERY MANY YEARS AGO (SIDE STORY 4)

Chapter 71: VERY MANY YEARS AGO (SIDE STORY 4) <VARZIEL’S POV>

As Castiel studied the boy one last time, his brows furrowed, still very obviously bothered by the decision he had made to take in the demon boy. "But what about my father?" Varziel asked.

"We will keep a lookout for your father; we can even stay a few days here, seeing as we have business in these parts." His tone was firm but not unkind. He squinted his eyes at Arella, then ruffled her hair. "Stay here." He finished ruffling her hair, despite Arella’s complaints about how he was messing with her well-made hair.

"I have unfinished business outside. Keep an eye on him, Ella. If you feel threatened by him or anything else, use your staff. And for heaven’s sake, don’t let your guard down."

"Yes, Cassie." Arella replied with an exaggerated exasperation, waving him off like a scolding parent. "Go on then, Shoo." She rolled her eyes as she turned to Varziel. "Brothers, overprotective even though you do not need it."

"Do not push it, squirt." Varziel rolled his eyes too as he snapped the fingers on his right arm two times, then there was a low hum in the air and a staff materialized in front of his hands. Varziel was left spellbound as he looked at the staff.

The silver shaft of the staff was long and stood just a little bit taller than the male angel. There were faint runes etched around the material of the staff, and at the top hung a diamond-shaped gem that glowed a light blue color.

He then stepped to the doorway, white wings folding tightly against his back to avoid the icy wind as he stepped outside. He gave one last glance at the two children, "Protect yourselves. If you need to, Arella, kill him." Then he disappeared into the swirling snow, vanishing as if he had been swallowed by the storm.

It was then that Varziel realized that the snow outside had grown heavier.

Arella sighed dramatically and plopped down on the floor in front of Varziel once more, folding her legs beneath her. "He is so serious all the time," she muttered, digging into one of the oversized pockets of her coat. "One would think that he has never smiled a day in his life."

Varziel did not respond, seeing as his eyes were glued to the doorway. He half expected the older male angel to burst back in with accusations or questions. When the angel did not return, he turned his wary gaze to Arella, who was rummaging through her pocket with the determination of a person searching for buried treasure.

"Found it!" She declared triumphantly, pulling out a small bundle of cloth. She unwrapped it to reveal a handful of dried nuts, their color and smell calling out to the starving Varziel. "I always keep snacks on me because I like to follow Cassie around. But that makes me get dragged into the middle of nowhere with no food. Castiel can go hungry for all I care, but I am too young to die of hunger. Here." She unceremoniously pushed the bundle of fruit into Varziel’s hands.

Varziel hesitated, though his stomach growled once more, as if in response to the sight and smell of something to eat. "I... I cannot take that if you had plans to eat it later on." Although he said that, his gaze was very obviously stuck on the fruit, but his wings betrayed him, falling open.

Arella rolled her eyes. "Do not be silly; I have got more. Besides, you need it more than I do at the moment." After she was sure that the food was not going to fall out of his hands, she took her hands back and said, "Go on, eat."

With tentative fingers, Varziel picked up one of the dried pieces of fruit. The moment the dried fruit touched his tongue, it was as if something snapped in him. Although he tried to eat slowly at first, his hunger quickly took over, and he devoured the food with a desperation that made Arella’s smile falter for just a moment.

"You were really hungry, huh?" She said softly, her voice less playful now. "You need to slow down when you eat, though. You might get sick and throw it all up. We do not want that, do we?"

Varziel shook his head and swallowed the fruit in his mouth. "I... just have not eaten in days." Tears pooled at the corners of his eyes and fell down his cheeks. Arella gripped at the sleeve of her dress and wiped his eyes.

Her expression was somber as she wiped his cheeks. "We shall make sure you eat plenty from now on. Cassie might grumble about it, but he always ends up sharing." Her usual cheer returned almost immediately, and she took back the hand that had been wiping his tears to clap her hands together. "He really is not as mean as he looks, I promise."

Varziel felt his heart grow warm at her reassuring words, "He does not like me though." He glanced toward the door, his wings twitching.

"He doesn’t like anyone." Arella whispered, then leaned forward to whisper in his ear, as if she were telling him a big secret. "I hear mother said he is in his adolescent years. Which is why he is so broody all of the time."

"Once he sees that you are not a threat, he will warm up to you. I promise."

Varziel terribly wanted to believe her, but doubt obviously lingered in his heart. He had not been taught how to deal with anyone who was not his father. Instead of replying, he decided to focus on the dried fruit, savouring every bite.

Arella continued to chatter as she dug around her pockets and unwrapped another bundle from her cloak. This time, it was unwrapped to reveal small crumbly biscuits. "You know," she continued to chatter, breaking one biscuit in half and placing it on the cloth he was holding, "we’re here because of the monsters. The ones that are hiding in the snow. They have been causing all kinds of trouble lately and Castiel was sent over to take care of them because he was the angel stationed closest to this place."

.

S/T:

Adult Arella: Was I really such a yapper when I was younger?

Adult Castiel: Once you started talking, it was like a waterfall. Couldn’t get you to shut up.

Adult Arella: (Splashes him with holy water. Then smiles sweetly at his drenched figure.) Ooops. Looks like the waterfall struck.

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