Julius Jeeves flew on borrowed wings, fending off a demonic horde. I stood on a hill, watching his approach, at the end of the Last Battle that decided the faith of all mankind. The forces of Hell were diminished, their resolve broken, the loss of their god leaving them desperate. One last stand before the imminent fall.
It was a sight to behold, one I will forever carry in my mind's eye. A short but glorious flight, as the gigantic wings he cut off the Devil's own back dissipated in the light of Dawn, and he finally fell to the ground below.
He crashed on the blood-soaked grass, smelling of brimstone and anguish. His armor was half gone, a gash in his side, bleeding eternal life force, there to remain till the end of Time. I caught his body as it tumbled over the mud and gore, nearly knocking me off my feet. Above us, a battalion of demons met a legion of furious celestials, angels bright and saints of yore, all armed and armored by Word Divine.
Jeeves bled. His breathing was quickened, his soul trying to rid itself of the essence of the Abyss that it had to take in whilst roaming the Realm of the Lost - the deepest pits of Hell. He looked at me, his eyes welling up yet again, that single reluctant tear from long before finally dropping.
"I am sorry, Elijah..." he whispered, "I have used you and made you worry. Forgive me..." and he fell into a dreamless slumber.
I held him so, until the pain subsided, till he smelled not of brimstone, but of that rainy night when we last parted, the night he sent me to meet the Lord, through a glass of Hidden Death. Hours passed, uncounted, for what may have been days under the Eternal Dawn which now colored the skies of Paradise. The forces of Heaven have long since stormed Hell, placing the Keeper upon its gates after their final victory, so that none that still remained there could ever escape. Days, lest it was but a moment before finally, he opened his eyes. How strange it felt, to sit there for so long, yet not feel tired.
In heaven, all wounds heal. And while those of the knight Julius may never heal fully, they had stopped leaking his lifeblood and his soul was regaining strength.
There appeared a flock of angels in the distance, very slowly making their way towards us, backed by the rising Sun.
"A thousand years will pass in peace before the Gates of Hell open again." I told him. He took a deep breath and turned to see what I was looking at. "Help me up, sire." He said finally. I did so and he stood, poised and steady, a true gentleman, unbroken by toil, undefeated even in death.
"They are coming for me, Elijah." Julius turned to face me. "I have one last trip to make."
"Probably to take you to Limbo and have those gashes closed." I replied, "God forgives."
"Do you?" He asked quietly, attempting to hide the sadness in his voice. "For what I have done, I will understand if you exact vengeance for my betrayal."
For a reason I could not explain, a smile crept to my lips.
"I would do no such thing." I replied with a calm that was overpowering. A sacred thing it was, no feelings of anger or judgment in my heart. "You do not deserve that, after what I just witnessed. Demons fell by your hand, a dozen of them and more, as you flew here. If ever you did me wrong, you've repaid it all in full." The sky was golden with streaks of white and blue. I remembered then the one riddle unsolved, one yarn left to unravel.
"Julis, my friend...I'm afraid I still do not understand..."
"And I owe you an explanation, that much is certainly true." Julius interrupted. And so...he told me his story.
"I had found," Jeeves started, "that the only way to come close to the Devil is to have him call you himself. And the Devil only calls when you have a debt to pay." He took another deep breath, wincing. He still felt pain?
"At the first battle at Mageddon, sire, it was plain how untouchable the Devil was to mortal men. Too careful, he was, too wise. And it was our destiny to fight him and ours alone." He sighed,
"God could not interfere there. It was our battle from the start ... since the Apple was bitten."
I shook my head in disbelief. "So you decided, oh brave solider, to take the burden of all mankind upon your own shoulders?" He smiled at my jape and continued.
"They say that the deepest pits of hell were reserved for traitors and mutineers. You, sire, were my ticket in." His expression was somber. There was certainly sadness, but also resolution.
"For it all to work I had to make sure I truly and honestly betrayed you" Julius went on " To really hurt you while doing it and thus be allowed into the Ninth Circle of Hell, the cold Abyss where no light ever shone. It was such a cold place, sire. So lonely..."
He trailed off, if only for a second, a shiver running over him before he regained his stature. I wanted to embrace him.
"Why me, Julius?" I asked instead, fearing the answer that was coming.
"Because I loved you most my liege, aside from God himself. And I could not make myself betray God before I betrayed you."
I stared at him, slowly realizing what it all cost. But the betrayal had to be sincere. Which meant...
"How did you grow to hate me, dear friend?"
"By focusing on what you failed to see. And you failed to see that I was planning my coup. I hated you because I made myself believe that you would talk me out of it. I feared Hell, Elijah, and I hated you for letting me go into it." He glanced over towards the angels again, who seemed to have stopped as if giving Julius the time he needed to have his say.
"The Devil was glad to accept me so that I can pay him what was owed."
"And did you, Julius?" I looked at him with a heavy heart. Satan was the beast of yore, unimaginable and fearsome. I always dreaded that I would meet him someday and lose all of my courage. But not Julius...
"I paid him 10 fold, sire, and took his wings and one eye as settlement." Resolution flooded his entire being, the sense of victory finally showing on him. "The only eye he had left. I blinded the Lord of Lies so that the world, once again, became a secret to him. He could not understand it anymore. Our forces did the rest as if it was child's play." He finally smiled, if lightly. "But I have only come to say my farewells, for I must go back. There is no place for me here, alas."
And in the ultimate victory of mankind, I alone suffered a loss. The shock went over me, like gusts of freezing wind, each one colder than the other. And the angles were finally upon us.
"Go where?" I asked almost yelling. "The war is over, Julius. We won."
He moved from my side, to stand by the divines, their wings shimmering in the light of dawn. Heavy shackles were placed upon his arms and legs.
"We have sire," he spoke "but my debt with God still stands. I am a traitor, and the law says I am not to remain in Heaven."
No. Even though I knew the law, I could not believe it to be true.
"You're a hero..."
"To you, I am sire. To the Law, I am but Guilty. And that is as it should be, without a doubt."
"I'll not let it happen..."
"You have no say in it, Elijah."
"I shall pray to the Lord!"
"That is the only thing you can and should do."
"I'll find a way to get you out of there, Julius..."
He laughed and gave me a slight bow like he used to when he served me so many times before. And as the angels carried him towards the Pits of Hades, Julius replied:
"Somehow I feel like you are the only one who could, my stubborn commander."
It was a 1000 years before I could walk through the Gates of Hell. A 1000 years of prayers I gathered to offer to the Keeper, once I go back out. I had no Vergilius at my side. And I was no Dante. But a 1000 years later, I walked out of the Ninth pit of Hell, burnt and frostbitten, as he did so long before, bearing in my arms the broken and tormented soul of my brave knight butler. And thus the world could start anew.
